TSA: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 3
by Nomad88
Summary: The continuing adventures of Peter Parker aka The Amazing Spider-Man, volume 3 in the series, R/R.
1. We Are Spider-Man

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **WELCOME BACK! Hey what's going on everyone, it's me Nomad88 back again with the next volume of my awesomely epic story The Spectacular Adventures of the Amazing Spider-Man or T.S.A. the Amazing Spider-Man for short.**

 **We are now heading into Volume 3! I know a lot of people never thought this day would come but here it is and hopefully it won't take me six years to finish this one, LOL!**

 **I know ya'll are probably eager to get to the story so I'm gonna stop talking but as always before I go I would like to say Please continue to READ, REVIEW( A writer's main source of Motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

 **(Volume 3)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: We Are Spider-Man**

"I'm telling you he's dead."

"Who, Spider-Man, nah. I heard he turned into a thousand spiders and he's living in the underground sewers along with the giant lizards and rats, making an army of spider-rats and spider-lizards."

"Well, I heard the Green Goblin came back to life and killed him."

"I heard that he really died in that fight with the Goblin and the government is experimenting on his mutant spider body."

"I heard that the Avengers hunted him down."

"I heard he left the country."

"I heard he mutated into a Spider-butterfly and flew away into space to his spider-nest."

"WHAT! BOOOO! That's totally lame!"

"I'm just telling you what I heard."

"So, basically no one knows what happened to him."

"All I know is that he's been gone for a while, probably forever."

"He's not gone forever. He's, I don't know hibernating or something, I heard spiders do that sometimes. He'll be back to swinging over head in no time. You'll see. Spider-Man is coming back."

* * *

 **11 Months Later**

 **New York City- Brooklyn- 11:30pm**

"DROP THE KNIFE AND BACK AWAY FROM THE HALF NAKED-LADY!" **The Black Cat** shouted at the top of her lungs.

The feline thief flexed her fingers, making her sharp claws pop out as she eyed the purple caped man that was standing over a scantily clad woman and her beaten and bloody unconscious boyfriend. She watched as the six foot tall man with a powerful build slowly turn to face her.

He looked menacing in his costume. He was wearing green and purple body armor, spray painted purple colored mechanical gauntlets on both of his hands which had sharp tips similar to the Black Cat's. He had on purple spray painted boots, a purple utility belt and a purple mask with big reflective lens that were similar to Spider-Man's. The mysterious man had a gold medallion hanging from his neck and a big yellow symbol in the middle of his chest however she couldn't make out what it was or what it meant but in truth she didn't care.

* * *

Black Cat readied herself for a fight that was sure to come all the while kicking herself for getting involved in the first place. All she had wanted to do was get in and steal the eighty five thousand dollar necklace that was hanging from the neck of the dark skinned woman that was on the ground and then get out. She had the whole thing planned down to the letter but on the night of the robbery she had to walk in to find a costumed psycho mercilessly beating a guy to a bloody pulp.

Black Cat had thought about running and turning her back however she didn't, she couldn't because in the eleven months since Spider-Man had been gone the streets had no longer been fun. The thrill of running the roof-tops free without a care in the world had lost its luster when on every run she would see someone get killed or beaten or caught in the crossfire of some gang war shoot-out. And since the underworld had been on fire fencing anything she had stolen had been next to impossible, no one was buying and no one was selling. It had been a rough eleven months and it had been grating on her nerves and enough was enough. She would take a stand even though she did think it was stupid, altruism was not something she was used to or wanted to get used to.

"Did you hear me? I said back away!" She said.

"Go away little girl." Came the deep, scary and distorted voice from the purple masked man, "You are stepping into a vendetta that you don't understa…."

"I don't care!" Black Cat shouted, interrupting him"You're not going to hurt that woman."

"I'm not going to hurt her. I'm just gonna strangle her until she tells me what I want to know and then I might hurt her, honestly I haven't decided yet."

"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!" the woman screamed in terror and she scooted away from him and back towards the front door.

* * *

The Black Cat took a step but the man pulled out a thick bowie knife and held it in a threatening manor.

' _What am I doing, this is stupid, this is stupid, this is stupid.'_ She said over and over in her mind, "The lady brings up a good question, just who the hell are you? What are you? Let me guess, you're the purple bandit, or how about the green bomber."

"Who are you? Cat Lady? And I hope you know Halloween is over, so what are you doing here?"

"I'm the Black Cat and on any day of the week I'm a thief but tonight I'll settle for purple bandit ass kicker."

The man shifted and half-turned to face her and even though his attention was on her he could still see his target out the corner of his eye. He saw her put one hand on the door knob and the other against the wall. He threw his knife.

 **SCHULPPPPPPPP!** Came the sound of the knife striking the woman through the hand which held her in place, secure to the wall.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed in agony as she felt the cold steel imbedded in her flesh.

* * *

The man cracked his neck and squared his shoulders.

"Who am I? I'm the seeker of vengeance. I. Am. **The Prowler**!"

* * *

The shout of his name was the only warning The Black Cat got before he was upon her. It was by sheer luck that she had the blood of her father running through her veins because if not, her head would've been taken off of her shoulders. She ducked under the fast slash from his clawed hand and rolled forward and under his purple cape. She grabbed the flowing piece of fabric and yanked it backward choking him for a brief moment.

The Prowler whipped around and used his sharp claws to slice the portion of his cape she had a grip on. He then lunged with a sidekick that would have broken her sternum if she hadn't crossed her arms in front of her chest effectively blocking the attack.

Black Cat pushed against him and almost threw him off balance if he hadn't taken a step back and whipped around with a round-house. She ducked under it and the came up with her claws and slashed him across his chest but her claws caught his armor. He slashed at her with his own claws and she met him in the middle.

 **CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!** Came the sound of their claws clashing in the middle.

* * *

Black Cat went low for a kick to his knee but the Prowler lifted his leg and her foot made contact with metal shins. She grimaced but had to roll out of the way of a razor sharp disc that suddenly fired out of the Prowlers gauntlet. The disc sliced through several strands of her hair before hitting the ground behind her. She quickly rose up and threw out a solid side-kick that struck him in the gut.

"HA!" she shouted.

The Prowler growled to himself and thrusted out one of his fingers.

 **FZZZZZZZZZAPP!** Came the sound of the thin laser beam that emerged from his finger.

"AH!" Black Cat shouted as she felt the thin laser graze the side of her shoulder. She kicked his hand and the second beam that followed struck the ground. The Prowler came forward and Black Cat met him in the middle in spite of her throbbing shoulder.

* * *

While the two of them fought for dominance the downed woman, Sheila Maze managed to pry the bowie knife out of the wall and out of her hand. She grimaced in pain and disgust at the bleeding hole in her hand, but then her eyes went towards one of the cabinets in the kitchen.

Sheila glanced at the Black Cat and the Prowler just as he took a punch to the face.

' _Bastard.'_ She thought to herself as she carefully crawled towards the cabinet she had her eye on. She flung it open with her good hand. She pushed several bricks of packaged cocaine out of the way until she spotted an AK-47.

Sheila curled her lips as she grabbed the weapon.

* * *

The Prowler grabbed Black Cat by the wrist and then punched her in the face.

"LISTEN TO ME KID THAT WOMAN IS A DRUG LORD! SHE AHHHH!"

The Prowler roared in pain as he felt a bullet go through his arm. Black Cat felt the splash of warm blood hit her in the face.

 **POWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOWPOW!** Came the loud sound of the AK-47. The Prowler and the Black Cat ducked for cover as Sheila wildly fired the weapon in all directions. The bullets ripped through everything in it path, going through appliances, furniture and even the walls of the apartments next to hers. She didn't care though.

"I WILL F******KILL BOTH OF YOU! YOU F*** WITH ME YOU'RE F******* WITH THE BEST!"

* * *

The Prowler growled in anger at his injury. He knew he needed to retreat and regroup and so he reached towards his utility belt and removed three smoke pellets. He tossed the smoke pellets over the counter he was hiding behind and let thick black smoke fill the large, lavish apartment; however through the hi-tech lenses in his mask he spotted the Black Cat maneuvering through the smoke and creeping towards the window.

"This is all your fault!" He shouted before running at her.

The Black Cat turned in time to feel the Prowler spear her across the waist.

 **CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** Went the sound of them both flying out of the window among a hail of bullets.

* * *

The Black Cat kneed the Prowler in the side and punched him in his injured shoulder which managed to loosen his grip enough to where she was able to fire her grappling hook that hooked onto the head of a light pole. She swung towards the ground preparing for an easy arc however the Prowler fired a small razor disk from the purple gauntlet on his wrist.

The disc sliced through the grappling hook line sending the Black Cat to the ground hard; her teeth clicked together as she hit the pavement and violently tumbled along the ground and onto her back.

"Ow." Black Cat groaned.

* * *

The young thief looked up to see the Prowler with his cape gliding over-head and landing softly a few feet away from her. He angrily reached down and with his good arm he snatched the cover off of the manhole beneath him.

"Next time you get in my way girly. I'll kill you." He said in a dangerous tone.

The Black Cat narrowed her eyes as he jumped down the man-hole and disappeared. She rolled her eyes and let out another groan.

"This is why I don't go to Brooklyn. Spider, wherever you are I hope you come back because this altruism bullsh** is definitely not my thing." She said while gingerly rising to her feet. Black Cat looked towards the man-hole the Prowler disappeared through and then held up her hand and smiled at the gold medallion in her palm.

"At least tonight isn't a total loss, this looks like actual gold which means I can get a little something for my trouble. The silver lining in all of this mess I guess."

* * *

She slowly began to walk away when she heard a shriek in the night.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US!" came a scream from down the block followed by a faint sound of gun shots.

Black Cat let out a groan.

"No. No. I've done my part for the night." She said, ignoring the shout.

"PLEASE! HELLLLLP! ANYBODY!"

 **POW!**

Black Cat growled in frustration and even though she knew it was not what she really wanted to do she found herself jogging off in the direction of the screams and gunfire.

"Hold on I'm coming. I wonder if any one else is out at eleven-thirty at night being an idiot."

* * *

 **Elsewhere- Manhattan- 11:30pm**

"RUNNN!" came a scream in the night that was quickly followed by loud, rapid gun fire as along with even more screams. The Westside Hawks fired upon the rival gang that was attempting to move in on their territory. They did their best to hit each and every one of the armed men that fled from them before they had a chance to catch their breath and return fire. One by one they all fell.

After a long minute the leader of the Hawks, R-Dog, a burly brown skinned man with a red Mohawk and red glasses held up his hand and the other Hawks next to him stopped their shooting. He stalked forward stepping over the lifeless bodies and with his pistol he shot anyone that was still moving or moaning in pain until he came to his true target.

* * *

R-Dog rolled the still barely breathing man that was riddled with bullets over to his back and pointed his pistol right in-between his eyes.

"Sup, Stoakes. I told you what would happen if we met again, this is Hawk territory and I told you we're not interested in the Kingpin reclaiming his throne. We're taking back what's ours."

"G-Good luck k-keeping it j-jackass." Stoakes gasped out "K-Kingpin is coming back in a big way."

"And his ass is gonna get a bullet too." R-Dog replied before pulling the trigger.

 **BLAAAAM!**

* * *

R-Dog felt a wave of satisfaction hit him as he dealt with the rival gang leader. He turned away from the dead man and he caught sight of a few of the dead bodies that lined the corner and while most of them were with Stoakes several of them were innocent civilians. He shrugged his shoulders and slipped his gun into his jacket.

"WE GOT OUR TURF BACK!" he shouted which was followed by cheering from the five Hawks facing him.

R-Dog took a step forward and that's when he felt a brick hit him square in the face. He instantly went down to the ground writhing in pain.

The Hawks quickly whipped around to see five people rushing towards them each wearing colorful costumes armed with bats and hockey sticks.

"MURDERERS!" one of them yelled just as they bashed into them.

* * *

The Hawks were caught off guard and as a result their weapons were quickly knocked away. The costumed group of vigilantes was wildly swinging their weapons. A bat found its way to a Hawk's knee cap and then it came up and hit him in the chin. A hockey stick came across the middle and smacked another Hawk directly in the mouth knocking all of his front teeth out. The vigilantes made quick work of the Hawks thanks to the element of surprise and once they were finished they turned towards R-Dog who was profusely bleeding from his nose.

R-Dog saw them slowly approaching him and he fumbled for his gun that was in his pocket. Once it was out he raised it however it was kicked out of his hand by one of the costume men who had dreadlocks and dark skin similar to his own. He was wearing a dark red and green outfit with a painted white spider symbol in the middle of his chest, which was a symbol that he knew all too well.

"You ain't killing anymore people tonight dude." He said in a serious tone.

"Who the f*** are you idiots supposed to be!" R-Dog shouted.

"We're the answer to anyone who thinks they can take what they want. **We are Spider-Man** and New York City is our turf." He said before whacking R-Dog in the face with his hockey stick rendering him completely unconscious.

* * *

 **Few Minutes Later- Down the Street and Around the Corner**

"We are Spider-Man? Randy, I swear to God that is freaking awesome!" came the hushed shout from **Kong** as he pulled his mask off.

The large teen then shook some of the blood off of his bat before looking towards his new friend and fellow vigilante **Randy Robertson**.

Randy smiled as he looked at Kong.

"It just came to me." He replied "I mean we do have his symbol and all."

"I thought we agreed on the bluebirds." Came a feminine voice.

Randy and Kong looked towards the third member of their group, **Sally Avril**.

* * *

Sally, like Randy and Kong was eighteen years old. She was dressed in a dark blue and white costume with a white mask covering her face leaving only her blue eyes and blonde hair visible. She too had a spider emblem in the middle of her chest only it was red instead of white like Randy and Kong's. In her hands was a baseball bat that had several specs of Hawk blood on it.

Kong shook his head.

"No, you suggested the bluebirds and that got tossed out the window immediately. It wouldn't even make sense."

"It makes sense to me."

Randy, Kong and Sally turned towards **Jason Ionello** , the fourth member of their group. He was wearing a black military vest with a green spider painted in the middle. He had a domino mask over his eyes and two hockey sticks holstered on his back. Jason nodded towards Sally and leaned in and kissed on her lips.

"The Bluebirds sound awesome babe." He said with a large smile.

"Oh yeah, there isn't any biased opinion going on over there." Randy said "You guys are dating so I'm not surprised that you agree."

"Everyone quiet." Came the voice of the final member of their group and their defacto leader **Flash Thompson**.

* * *

Flash was dressed in a white and red outfit with a black spider emblem painted in the middle of this chest. He had arm guards and shin guards strapped to his arms and legs, combat boots on his feet and red mask over half his face. On his back was a hockey stick and in his hands was a bloody bat.

Flash pulled his spider-man mask off of his face and eyed his rag-tag group of heroes. The circumstances that brought them together was odd but he was thankful that he had them with him, that they saw the same things going wrong in the city that he did and that they all were willing to do something about it just like their missing idol the Amazing Spider-Man. He may be gone but they would keep what he stood for alive and give the people some semblance of hope.

* * *

He was proud that they stopped the Hawks but they stopped them too late, several innocent lives were lost and each life that was lost brought back the memory of his dead best friend Leo Mitchell. The blonde haired leader quickly composed himself and addressed his crew.

"We did good but we can still do better. We need a better system than just wandering around and hoping to find some trouble. If we were here earlier we might've been able to stop those guys from murdering those people."

"To be fair most of them were other gangsters." Said Kong

"But some of them weren't and that's the people we're trying to save Kong, the ones that are actually worth it. So does anyone have any ideas?" he asked.

"Yeah." Said Randy with a smile, he reached into his pocket and he took out his cell phone, "We need to get the word out as to where the hot spots are for criminal activity and the best way to do that is to get our name out there. I recently got a job at my dad's place so I'm thinking we do a little video and get the pulse of the people."

"Hell yeah." Said Kong "I heard about this chick down over on the lower eastside that calls herself Hellcat. She's been beatin on criminals for the past two months everyone has been talking about her on the news asking her to show up their neighborhood, plus you got Daredevil up in Hell's kitchen and the heroes for hire in Harlem. We need to get in on the publicity as well and maybe carve out our own turf."

"That's not why we're doing this Kong. We're not in this for glory or turf." Flash said a bit forcefully.

"I know that Flash but I'm just sayin it'll still be cool to see us on TV."

Randy looked towards Flash.

"You got a better idea. If we get the word out people might start talking and we might be able to be in the right place at the right time on our next patrol."

Flash considered it for a moment.

"Alright fine."

Randy held up his phone and he pointed it at the group.

"Masks on people and look alive because here comes our fifteen minutes."

* * *

 **Lower East Side-**

"AH!" came the gasp from a young woman dressed in a dark yellow costume with a black mask covering half her face.

The woman wiped the blood from her lips and looked at the tall man in front of her while raising her gloved hands.

"Stupid BITCH!" he growled while cocking his fist back.

The woman waited for her opening and she ducked under the punch and let the man's fist smack into the cement wall behind her. He screamed in pain and cradled his obviously broken hand. The woman grinned and then kicked him in the knee-cap shattering it as well. The man fell to the ground gritting his teeth in agony.

"You come into my neighborhood and beat a man half to death, and think you can walk away! Hell No!" She yelled before kneeing him in the face and knocking him onto his back.

"He owned us money!" the man spat, blood flying from his lips.

The woman straddled him and punched him in the face.

"Who do you work for?!"

"Screw you Bit…"

 **BAM!** She punched him again.

"Who do you work for!?"

"No one!" he finally yelled, "I'm not working for anyone, there is no boss anymore everyone is taking a piece for themselves. I got a small crew and I'm trying to make a name for us. I gotta make an example otherwise how am I supposed to be a Kingpin of crime!"

* * *

The woman looked away from him and to the other three guys that were sprawled out on the dirt unconscious. She had beaten them first before the leader. She turned back to him and pulled him close.

"Listen close, this is my territory. I see you or any of your wannabe Kingpins hanging around and beating up on helpless men you're gonna have to deal with me."

She stood up and looked down at him.

"And by the way, the name isn't bitch….it's **Hellcat**."

Hellcat lifted her foot and kicked him in the face showing him nothing but darkness.

* * *

 _ **The Next Day- TV**_

" _Good Morning New York City, this is Michelle Burns bringing you up to the minute news. The story of the day is what we here at the station are calling the Vigilante Boom. In the past eleven months there has been a seventy seven percent increase in crime and violence and the police have been stretched thin to handle the problems that plague our city thanks in part to budget cuts issued by Mayor Ronald Gunner. However, as of the last three months the Vigilante Boom has occurred, an influx of reports about costumed heroes protecting the streets of New York. Our great city is no stranger to costumed heroes saving the day, heroes such as the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, Daredevil or the Amazing Spider-Man, who has been MIA since his epic battle with the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, almost a year ago. Today we have more reports coming in all over the five boroughs of new costumed vigilantes popping up and here's what a few citizens had to say."  
_

* * *

 _ **Bronx**_

 _ **Teen:**_ _"Yo man, me and my girl was walking back to her crib when the Latin Crows just jumped us outta nowhere. They got the drop on me but this dude in all white came from the sky and beat the crap out of them. Babe did you hear him say a name?"_

 _ **Teen Girl:**_ _"I think he said Moon Nights."_

* * *

 _ **Manhattan:**_

 _ **Man:**_ _"She called herself_ _ **Hellcat**_ _. She came out of the shadows and beat these guys that were trying to break my legs."_

* * *

 _ **Brooklyn**_

 _ **Woman:**_ _"He called himself_ _ **the Falcon**_ _. He swooped in like, like this bird or something and jacked up these guys that were trying to rob a bank and then he took off into the sky."_

* * *

 _ **Queens**_

 _ **Elderly Lady**_ _: "This hooligan stole my purse but this kid comes flying down the street on a skateboard that had rockets on it and he knocked the guy down and he brought me back my purse. I think he said his name was the_ _ **Rocket Racer**_ _."_

* * *

 _ **Staten Island**_

 _ **Man and Woman:**_ _"This young girl strolled up to these guys on the corner that were selling drugs and she kicked their ass. The girl was awesome. I think I heard her say her name was_ _ **Valiant**_ _or something like that."_

* * *

 _ **Michelle:**_ _"All across New York, heroes are being born to combat the huge spike in crime however not everyone is thrilled about this, here's what our esteemed Mayor Gunner had to say:_

* * *

 _ **Mayor Gunner**_ _: "I do not trust a man or a woman in a mask. The Fantastic Four, the Avengers they are sanctioned heroes whose identity are public but these other heroes are nothing more than costumed vigilantes, masked clowns that are breaking the law by taking it into their own hands. I know that the police are a bit upset with me for budget cuts but I promise there is a method to my madness and the budget will be restored bigger and better. And once that happens I promise that these vigilantes will be caught and tried to the full extent of the law. If they truly want to help, or be heroes then I suggest picking up an application and applying to the NYPD or the FDNY."_

* * *

 _ **Michelle:**_ _"Going along with Mayor Gunner is one of New York's prominent faces J. Jonah Jameson, who had this to say."_

* * *

 _ **J. Jonah Jameson**_ _: "THAT'S RIGHT! I agree with Mayor Gunner. I don't trust men in masks either. What are they hiding for huh? Real heroes show their faces, they stand up and be accounted for. They are not afraid to show who they really are like my son John Jameson who you all should remember single handedly landed a space shuttle in the Hudson without one single loss of life. These vigilantes breed chaos and I'm probably sure they're responsible for the increase in crime; hell some of them are probably committing said crimes as we speak. I hope all of them get the message like Spider-Man did and quit before they end up killing someone. I want every costumed moron out there to listen to me closely; we don't want your help, give up and let the true heroes bring justice back to New York City._ "

* * *

 **Daily Bugle- Bullpen**

"Blowhard." Indy Daimonji whispered under her breath as she looked away from the video feed on her computer. She had already heard J. Jonah's speech on the costumed vigilantes roaming the streets but she and a few others like Ben and Robbie completely disagreed with him.

She and the rest all believed that the vigilantes were a natural response to the influx in crime, and the thinning of police. And few of them like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing were actually making a difference in certain areas but as a whole they still had their work cut out for them.

She and her mentor Ben Urich, found out that the underworld is in upheaval which is the reasoning behind the spike in crime. The Kingpin Vanessa Fisk declared anarchy however mid-way through the first month she had been killed, thrown out of the window of Fisk Towers, no evidence, no witnesses. The suddenness of her death had only galvanized the underworld to double their efforts to fill the newly cemented power vacuum. It had been eleven months and still no one has claimed the title of Kingpin. The police were hard pressed to keep the peace especially when their pay had been cut however thankfully the vigilantes arose and were doing what they could, but there was one vigilante that everyone missed. The Amazing Spider-Man.

* * *

Indy had been trying to find him or the man behind the mask however her search yielded nothing. She had a few leads, like Mary Jane Watson but the teen was careful and hadn't led her to Peter's whereabouts.

Indy sat back in her seat and stretched her aching muscles. The young and intrepid reporter was on a deadline for a new story for the Daily Bugle's blog and after scrolling through the junk mail and looking through the throwaway pile she didn't have anything juicy to show Jonah.

"God if you're up there please let the story of my life fall into my lap."

A newspaper found its way to her lap. She looked down at the paper, only to see that it was one of the Daily Bugle's rival papers, the Globe.

"Ask and ye shall receive pretty lady." Came the voice of Randy Robertson.

* * *

Randy was wearing a plain blue and white shirt, dark jeans and sneakers which were a far cry from his nightly costume that he wore with his friends.

Randy leaned against Indy's desk and he gave her his best smile.

"Open it and go to 9C."

Indy looked around making sure no one was watching her.

"Just keep a look out for Jonah, he sees me reading this he'll either fire me or have a massive heart attack."

Randy nodded his head. Indy turned to the page and she searched around it until her eyes landed on a small section that read: masked vigilantes stop Hawks gang. She glanced up at him.

"Read it."

"In the early hours of the morning five masked vigilante apprehended several prominent members of the notorious Hawks gang such as the feared R-Dog. Eye witnesses say the Hawks were attempting cut competition for their block down to size, however they did not account for these five vigilantes or better yet these five heroes." She read and once she finished the entire article she put the paper down and shrugged her shoulders, "So."

"So, isn't that awesome." He said.

"It is but I don't know if you've heard but there's a ton of them popping up all over. What makes these five so special?"

Randy reached into his pocket and removed a flash drive.

"Because they are the real deal, and get this, they're calling themselves Spider-Man and I have it on camera."

* * *

Indy quickly leaned forward in her seat and reached for the flash drive but Randy pulled it out of her reach.

"Give it here." She said, "That's my news story."

"It's actually my news story." Randy corrected.

"You're an intern you don't get stories."

"I do when I'm only one with the footage, which I am willing to give to you, but I'm gonna need something in return." He said.

"Name it." said Indy.

"A date."

Indy let out a groan and then hung her head.

"Look Randy we've been over this, you're cute and I like you but you're my boss's son. It doesn't exactly look right if you catch my drift. I'm gonna own this place one day and I don't want anyone saying that I did it by marrying the boss's son."

"Whoa. I think you may be getting ahead of yourself Indy. I mean marriage? It's just a date; I may not even like you after."

"Please." Indy responded "One date with me and you'll fall in love."

"We'll never know until we go on one now will we." He said while pocketing the flash drive and beginning to walk away.

Indy grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Fine, you get one date. One."

Randy smiled and handed her the flash drive which she quickly snatched and plugged into her computer. The computer booted up the drive and a screen popped up with the costumed Flash Thompson taking center screen.

* * *

 **Computer**

" _The villainy and injustice that has gripped this city is now over. We will no longer sit idly by and watch creeps, lowlifes, gangsters or gangs continue to harass the everyday working class people or people who are just trying to live their lives peacefully. We won't allow it. The Hawks just found that out the hard way. So let that be a lesson to anyone who thinks they're above the law, anyone who thinks they own this city. You don't. We own the night and in case you're wondering who we are, I'll be the first to tell you. **We**. **Are**. **Spider-Man**! And we'll be watching."  
_

* * *

Indy put a smile on her face and she quickly began to upload the video to her Daily Bugle blog site which had been receiving more than its fair share of viewers and subscribers since its inception. She turned to Randy and smiled.

"This is awesome."

"I know." He replied with a knowing smile _, 'Flash should do something in public relations or speaking. He certainly has a knack for it, go figure.'_ He thought to himself.

"How did you get this?" she asked.

"Why do you need to know?" he asked.

"Because we need more."

Randy nodded his head.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be getting more than your fair share in the coming days. In the meantime we can be the ones to spread the word that Spider-Man is back and he wants to know where he's needed the most."

* * *

 **Police Station- Interrogation Room**

Ian Grubbs aka R-Dog sat on the hard gray chair in the police interrogation room. He was alone staring at the one way mirror that gave him a clear view of his horrendous black and blue appearance. He gingerly touched his clearly broken nose before letting off a few curses in his mind. He couldn't believe his luck, one minute he was patting himself on the back for an easy hit, reclaiming his block for his people and the next he was being kicked in the face by five idiots in costumes. R-Dog clenched his fists together before folding his arms across his chest.

He hated himself for what he was about to do. He never thought of himself as a snitch but he had two strikes already and with his final murderous crime he was due to be sent to prison for life with no chance for parole. He was not prepared to do that, and so he had no choice but to snitch.

' _Hopefully the Owl is too busy with more important things, so by the time he finds out I'll be long gone. F***! This was supposed to be my come back not a nail in my coffin.'_ He thought to himself angrily.

* * *

 **Behind the Mirror**

Acting Captain Terri Lee entered the room only to be greeted by her newest Lieutenant, a transfer from the Brooklyn division **Jean DeWolff**.

"Lieutenant." Terri greeted.

"Captain." She responded.

"What do we got?"

"Ian Grubbs, a nasty little SOB. On the three strike rule and this is his third strike. We have eye witness who put him at the corner of a hit that happened yesterday around eleven. He got himself caught by some of the new costumed vigilantes popping up all over the city. I asked him who they were and he says they call themselves Spider-Man."

* * *

Terri recoiled a bit at the news because at the mention of the name she was brought back to the last time she saw him, eleven months ago. The light was dim but she remembered his heart-broken face.

' _Kid, it hasn't been the same without you.'_ She thought but was broken from her thoughts as Jean continued to talk.

"I was ready to tell my detectives to bag and tag him but he said he had some info to offer if we could wave his prison sentence and give him one more strike."

"Like hell, you said witnesses saw him kill people. No, his ass is going up sh***creek. Who could he have info on that we would want to hear?"

"He wants to flip on the Owl." Jean answered.

Terri slowly turned away from the mirror and looked at Jean. The Owl was a name she hadn't heard in a very long time.

"If you don't know..." Jean started but was interrupted by Terri.

"I know who he is. A would be crime boss from back in the day. I remember him well mostly because of how weird he looked; it's amazing how some things stick with you. My sister and I had just graduated the academy and we had been assigned our beats when in walks the weirdest looking man I had ever seen. He winked at me and just thinking about it gives me the chills and not in a good way. He was under investigation for a few murders but his lawyer bailed him out. It wasn't long after that I heard he was run out of town by the Kingpin."

"I've only seen pictures." said Jean "The Brooklyn Homicide unit has a whole file on him. I was working a cold case that had links to him and it looks like he's trying to make a comeback."

"You want to hear him out." Terri stated while nodding her head towards Ian.

"He's a small fish in a pond that's growing bigger by the day. We need a win and if we can get the Owl off the streets before he's got a good footing then we'll be that much closer to regaining some semblance of control among the craziness out there."

Terri let loose a long sigh.

"Alright, let's hear what he has to say. If I like it we do a deal for reduced time or something."

Jean took a step towards the door when the whole room started to rumble and shake violently.

 **RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBBLEEEE!**

* * *

"Earthquake!" Jean yelled while trying to balance herself.

"In New York?" Terri questioned while using the wall to keep herself upright.

The acting Captain and Lieutenant stumbled against the mirror and that's when they both caught sight of the two huge water pipes bursting out of the solid cement ground and into the interrogation room, spilling water everywhere. Jean narrowed her eyes for a moment but they widened in realization at what was happening.

"It's a hit!" she shouted while pulling out her weapon and rushing out of the door with Captain Lee behind her.

* * *

 **Interrogation Room**

R-Dog scooted away from the water in terror as he saw it pull together and begin to rise upward. He was shocked to see that the water quickly began to form into that of a young man with dirty blonde hair and a cocky smirk upon his lips.

 **BAMMMMMMMM!** Came the sound of the door being kicked open.

* * *

Jean and Terri fired their weapons but the bullets harmlessly passed through the man's chest and head. He turned to them and held out his hand.

"Yeah, bullets can't stop **HYDRO-MAN**!" he shouted before his hand expanded and extended outward and slammed into Terri and Jean securing them to the wall that was behind them. He then turned away from the two women and towards the snitch.

* * *

Hydro-Man stalked a little a closer to his prey who had a fearful look in his eyes.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You make a deal with the Owl and then at the first sign of trouble you go snitching. When you snitch he gets really upset. When he gets upset he contacts me and interrupts my fun with the ladies and then I get really upset. When I get really upset people die."

"T-T-Tell him I'm sorry. The job was a lock b-but I got beat up by these idiots calling themselves spider-man."

Hydro-man lunged towards Ian and easily lifted him up by his neck.

"Spider-what!? You need to tell me everything, right damn now you filthy snitch! I need to know if it was Spider-Man that kicked your ass?" he asked

R-Dog couldn't reply because of the grip around his neck.

"TALK!"

* * *

R-Dog gurgled some words which made no sense and so Hydro-man reluctantly loosened his grip. R-Dog gasped.

"N-No. It wasn't real Spider-Man…but five people calling themselves Spider-Man."

Hydro-man narrowed his eyes. He had been itching for a rematch with the webbed wonder ever since his defeat several months back. He had been looking for the wall-crawler but since his battle with the Green Goblin no one has seen him in eleven months and it only made his water boil with anger.

"They call themselves Spider-Man eh?" he started "Well they'll just have to wet my appetite until the bug shows his ugly face again." He finished before smiling at Ian.

"P-Please, let me live." R-Dog begged.

"Ummmm, No."

* * *

Hydro-Man retracted his arm that was holding Terri and Jean and he placed a hand on R-Dog's face. He then made tendrils of water shoot into his nose and mouth, filling his lungs and stomach with water. Hydro-Man kept filling, filling and filling him with water making him swell like a balloon and suffocate at the same time.

"Dear God." Terri whispered to herself as she stared into the interrogation room in horror as Hydro-Man viciously inflated the Hawk leader until he suddenly popped.

 **SPPPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!** Came the sickening sound of him bursting in a shower of water and blood. Terri recoiled as some of it splashed upon her and Jean who had a look of horror upon her face as well.

* * *

The Lieutenant raised her weapon and let off a few more rounds hoping that it would do something to the watery fiend. He cocked his head to the side as the bullets harmlessly passed through him again.

Hydro-Man made his body turn into water and he drifted towards them, his water mixing with the blood and guts on the ground slightly.

"I heard the two of you in the other room, and I heard the Owl's name. I don't know if he told you anything but just to be on the safe side, I'm gonna have to kill the both of you too."

Terri stared up at him as he exited the interrogation room and into the small hallway. He towered over them a little. She was frightened but she knew if she didn't do something both of them were going to die.

Terri glanced to the left where she spotted a fire extinguisher secured to the wall. She took a deep breath and raised her gun and let off a single round.

 **PINNNNNNNNNG!** Came the sound of the bullet hitting the extinguisher and bursting it open and spraying Hydro-Man.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He shouted "NOT AGAIN!"

* * *

Hydro-Man quickly made his water recede back into the bloody interrogation room where he slid back into the pipes and through the New York City water system.

The two females let out a breath just as a dozen other officers appeared on the scene.

* * *

 **Later- 8:30pm Empire State University- Co-Ed Dorm Room**

 **RING! RING! RING!**

Sally glanced to the right and spotted Jason's cell phone ringing. She looked towards her sleeping boyfriend and then reached for the phone and looked at the caller Id. At the sight of the name she gritted her teeth and roughly shook him awake.

"Wake up!" she shouted.

Jason groggily turned towards her.

"What is it babe?"

"Why the hell is Liz Allen calling you?" she demanded while shoving the phone in his face.

* * *

Jason looked at the missed call as well as the picture before sitting up in the small dorm bed.

"She's probably calling to talk about her world-wind backpacking trip through Europe."

"I thought you told me you broke up with her?"

"We mutually broke up with each other after graduation but we're still friends Sally." He said before placing the phone back on the table next to the bed.

Sally shook her head.

"I don't like that Jason. She's your Ex and I'm not really comfortable with the two of you talking to each other."

"Why are you so insecure?"

"I'm not!" she shouted at him.

* * *

Jason laid back down and at that moment his phone rang again. Sally grabbed the phone before he could and swiped to the left not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Listen Liz, don't call here…."

" _It's not Liz, Sally."_ Came Flash's voice on the other end.

"Flash?"

" _Grab Jason and get your gear, we got some work to do. The plan worked like a charm. Spider-Man is needed."_ He said before hanging up.

Sally looked at the phone and then put a serious look upon her face as she turned back to Jason.

"What did Flash want?"

"It's time to go to work."

* * *

 **Later that night- Gramercy Park-**

Kong tucked his head and rammed his shoulder into the thug that tried to stab him in the neck. The large teen called up his days in football and used his height, weight and momentum to carry the thug across the grass and right into a tree. All the air left the thug's lungs. Kong rose up and punched him in the face several times before throwing him to the ground.

"YEAH!" He yelled.

* * *

The large costumed teen turned around to see his fellow Spider-Men fighting tooth and nail with the local gang that was trying to get a foot hold in the area that Jewel used to protect before she too disappeared. Kong liked her the minute he heard about her and he had wanted to meet her just like he wanted to meet Spider-Man however his dreams had been dashed because both were gone.

He often wondered about what happened to them but that was only during his free time, and lately he hadn't had much of it, especially tonight. He and the other had been going all over town helping those in need and it made him feel good.

Kong spotted another thug running towards him and so he grabbed his fallen bat and he squared his shoulders.

"BRING IT ON! RAHHHH!"

* * *

Sally kicked the horrendously dressed female thug in front of her before turning and swinging her hockey stick and smacking the guy that choking Jason in the head. The sudden strike gave Jason enough time to punch the guy in the stomach and then throw him into the fountain water.

"Thanks babe." Jason said while wiping some blood off of his nose.

* * *

Randy whacked the tall burly man in front of him in the knees with his bat and then brought the wooden weapon upwards and directly into the man's chin, knocking out several teeth in the process. He then kicked the man in the chest and sent him to the ground groaning in pain.

The teen looked towards the scared sorority girls that were standing off to the side as well as a thin, beaten young man that had been walking with them. Randy and the others had arrived in time to stop the thugs that were beating on him and looking to harm the young women.

"Don't worry, you guys are safe."

* * *

Flash threw the ring leader of the gang into the metal fence and began to wail his brass knuckled fists into the man's stomach. He mercilessly beat his fist into the man's stomach and with each blow an image of his best friend Leo Mitchell flashed across his mind. He could see him laying dead on the ground and it only fueled his anger.

"Bastards." He growled before moving away from the man's stomach and going to his face, "You killed him. You killed him. YOU KILLED HIM!"

Flash raised his bloody fist ready to strike the beaten thug once more when it was stopped by Kong.

"Dude that's enough!" He shouted.

Flash heaved several breaths before backing away. Kong leaned down and checked the thug's pulse and he released sigh of relief when he felt a slow but steady rhythm.

"What the hell man?" Randy said as he walked over.

Flash kept backing away until he turned and ran away leaving his crew behind him.

"Ah Crap." Kong said as he jogged after him "WAIT!"

* * *

Randy, Sally and Jason watched the two of them leave, all three of them wondering what just happened. They heard movement behind them and they turned to see the sorority girls walking towards them.

"T-Thank you." One of them said.

Randy nodded his head.

"It was our pleasure. The cops should be on the way, so we need to split. When they get here tell them that Spider-Man was here."

* * *

 **Two Blocks away**

Flash leaned against the wall heaving several breaths; his heart pounded so hard that he thought it would burst from his chest. He was ready to kill that man. Leo flashed across his mind again and a sob escaped his throat.

"Yo!" a familiar voice called.

Flash turned to see Kong walking up to him.

"Yo, what the heck was that back there?"

"I-I…I don't know. I was hitting him and I-I saw Leo and…." Flash started before he broke out into tears.

Kong stepped to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I know man, I know. I miss him too."

* * *

 **Elsewhere-West Village**

"What the hell do you mean you can't fence this? It's a freakin gold medallion! It's at least worth fifty grand." Black Cat shouted.

Arthur Bremmer, the neighborhood fencer shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm thinking more like fifteen grand and I'm sorry BC but I can't fence it. I can't do much of anything right now you know that."

"Come on, give me something Arthur."

"I can't. The word on the street is that Fisk has given the order that no one is to make any money; nothing is to be fenced or stolen until his enemies bow down. If you decide to go against him he'll take it as a sign of disrespect and it's an offense punishable by death."

"Screw him!" Black Cat shouted.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one that's gonna get their head cut off if you disobey. And I'm not only worried about me but I got a sister and two nephews I got to think about too. I'm sorry."

"Oh F*** you and your sorrys! I'll find someone who's willing to go against Wilson Fisk."

"Not likely, this Kingpin war is gotten out of hand. And if you don't work for Fisk you work for the competition and they've made the same decree, at least that's what I've heard from my friends in low places. Everyone except Daredevil, no that crazy psycho busts into your home and beats you half to death. All of them can go f**** themselves as far as I'm concerned but orders are orders."

"Oh yeah well there's one thing you're forgetting about me Arthur and that's I can be very persuasive."

* * *

 **Chelsea**

"NO!"

 **SLAMMMMM!** Came the sound of a metal fence slamming in Black Cat's face.

* * *

 **Hell's Kitchen**

"PISS OFF!"

 **SLAMMMMM!**

* * *

 **East Village**

"GET THE F*** OUTTA HERE!"

* * *

 **Alphabet City**

"You're hot, but not that hot lady."

 **SLAMMMMMMMMMMM!**

Black Cat punched the wall next to her in frustration and left a small dent in the process.

"JACKASS!" she shouted.

* * *

 **Midtown**

 **KAPPPPPOWWW!** Came the sound of the shotgun. Black Cat dove behind the counter as the unstable female fencer by the names of Keyes let off another round.

"GET OUT NOW! IF NEGATIVE FINDS OUT YOU WERE HERE, HE'LL KILL ME! YOU WORK FOR FISK DON'T YOU!? NAH, NOT FISK! FROM THAT RIDICULOUS COSTUME YOU MUST WORK FOR DAREDEVIL! I'LL KILL YOU!"

 **KAPPPPPPPPPOWWWWW**

"Christ." Black Cat whispered as she slowly tried to poke her head over of the counter.

 **KAPPPPPPPPOOOWWWW** came the sound of the shells blowing through the wooden counter in the back-room.

* * *

The Black Cat growled to herself and she listened as Keyes tried to rush around the other side of the counter. She waited and once Keyes rounded the corner she lunged upward with a solid uppercut to the older woman's chin. Black Cat then brought the woman forward and head-butted her in the face effectively knocking her out.

Cat caught the woman and easily laid her down on the ground and kicked the shotgun away.

She looked around the backroom.

"F***!" she yelled.

* * *

 **Twenty-Minutes Later- Times Square- 2: 30 am**

Black Cat sat on the ledge of a high rise building eating a bagel and staring at the gold medallion she had stolen from the Prowler earlier in the night.

' _This has truly been the night from hell, not only do I do something stupid as to risk my neck for people I barely know but I actually do it for free. I've been to every fencer I know in Manhattan and not one will take you off of my hands, which sucks because this isn't exactly the first time this has happened. It seems to me that the only way to get things back to normal would be to either leave this city or…find some way to stop this so called Kingpin war. And to stop this Kingpin war I'll need some sort of hero but the only hero I know has vanished.'_

The Black Cat took a bite of her bagel and then stared out into the thinning crowd of New Yorkers and tourist who were all beginning to make their way home. She knew she couldn't leave New York. In the time that she's been living in the city that never sleeps it had somehow become a part of her. She couldn't give it up nor would she and so she settled on her only other option. She would have to find Spider-Man.

' _The question is how do I find him. How do I find someone that I have not seen in months in one of the most densely populated cities on earth? How do I find someone that does not want to be found? Where would I even start? Alright big man above I'm gonna need a little bit of help on this one.'_

* * *

Black Cat finished off her bagel and was about to leap off of the building when a digital billboard attached to an upscale clothing store suddenly caught her eyes. The image shifted and Black Cat stood there waiting for it to shift back into the image of a very attractive red haired young woman who smiled while modeling a pair of jeans. Black Cat tilted her head to the side as recognition hit her like a ton of bricks once she got a look at the girl.

"I know her. I've seen her with…oh my God she would know." She whispered to herself as a smile crossed her lips "Ask and ye shall receive. HAHA! What was her name? It was…..Mary Jane Watson. Well red, I think it's time you and I had a talk about the whereabouts of our mutual friend Peter Parker also known as **The Amazing Spider-Man**."

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review** : **Hello all, it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments to the first chapter of T.S.A: Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3!**

 **It's here, Volume 3 has officially begun and it's going to be an even longer road than Volume 2 so I hope all of you are up for the ride. First off, I know many of you will probably be upset that I didn't go into detail of Peter's whereabouts and what happened at the end of Volume 2. And now all of a sudden there is a time jump, that is by design though and I'll expand on that a little bit later. The most important take away though from the end of Volume 2 and to the beginning of Volume is that he quit at a very inconvenient time. Wilson Fisk had returned to New York and seeking to reclaim what Vanessa had broken but it won't be as easy this time around. Fisk is gonna have to fight for what's his and anyone that stands in his way will be dealt with.**

 **I'll explain everything as the story further unfolds. However I hope all of my fellow Black Cat fans got their fill with this chapter. Her arc this time around is a very interesting one and as you saw she's gonna take it upon herself to get Spider-Man back in the webs, so I wonder how that's gonna go, LOL! I hope all of you stick around to find out.**

 **Also, I'm pretty sure that a lot of you were probably hoping for something else with this chapter but it is my hope that you enjoyed what I gave you. I've gotten a few PM's that have been praising Volume 2 (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) and those that have kinda been questioning several of the choices I've made. There are many voices that didn't like and are concerned that with both the death of Aunt May and Gwen, Peter would be too broken to do anything. My response to that is well….you'll have to wait and see wait happens.**

 **So don't worry people I got this….hopefully, LOL! Just trust me, sit back relax and enjoy. If any of you have any questions, rants or raves, you can either leave it in the review or hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying Later…**

 **Ps: Keep checking my profile and you batman fans might get an early surprise LOL!**

 **Next Up: Before the Storm**

* * *

 **Summary: The Owl, Mr. Negative and Wilson Fisk each plan to take out the other with their subordinates. Meanwhile Felicia has a sit down with Mary Jane about the whereabouts of Peter Parker aka The Amazing Spider-Man however both run into an unexpected villain. Be there!**


	2. Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 coming at'cha with another brand new chapter in TSA volume 3. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. I know it might've seemed liked a slow start but hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Please remember to READ, REVIEW ( A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Before the Storm**

 **Next Day- Baxter Building- 11:30am**

The eighteen year old **Mary Jane Watson** opened her eyes and was treated to the sight of a smiling **Johnny Storm** lying next to her.

"Morning." He said.

"Good-Morning. What time is it?" she asked while looking over his shoulder and to the clock on his night stand, "Oh God I'm gonna be late for my photo-shoot. Why didn't you wake me up Johnny?"

Johnny let out a yawn as he watched her throw the covers off and quickly scramble about his room grabbing her clothes and clumsily putting them on.

"You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you."

"I wish you would have." She returned as she put her shoes on her feet and once they were on she stopped and then turned to look at him, "Oh no is your sister going be out there."

"Probably."

"Ben?"

"Maybe."

"Dr. Richards?"

"More than likely."

Mary Jane hung her head and let out a groan.

"So I have to do the walk of shame in front of your family, I can see how today is going to turn out."

Johnny chuckled as he got out of the bed; he grabbed his fantastic four uniform and began to dress himself.

"Don't worry Mary Jane, you won't have to do that, and you won't be late for your photo-shoot. I'll fly you downtown."

"Thank you, thank-you, thank-you." She said with a smile on her face.

"No problem but if I do that you'll have to do something for me."

"Name it."

"Go out on a date with me."

* * *

Mary Jane released another groan. She had been hoping that he wouldn't bring up the subject of them going out on a date but it seems her hopes had been dashed. The two of them had been seeing each other casually for the past couple of weeks and neither had meant for anything to happen between them but after he had flown her home one night three weeks ago things had progressed from there. It was nice but he had started asking to take her out on a date and each time she had gently turned him down but it seemed that he was a determined young man. A quality she happened to like.

"Johnny, what we're doing now is bad enough so we can't date each other." She said

"Why not?"

"You know why." She replied.

* * *

Johnny hung his head as an image of Gwen flashed across his mind. He heaved a sigh and folded his arms across his chest.

"She's gone Mary Jane. She's gone and while I do miss her every damn day. I-I can't wallow in guilt or depression. I have to move on. We have to move on with our lives. I wonder if that makes me sound like a jackass."

Mary Jane shook her head.

"No. I know exactly what you mean but still. What would she say if she saw us together right now."

Johnny chuckled

"I don't know something snappy followed by a couple of curses and maybe a fist or two being thrown. She was not one to piss off."

He and Mary Jane shared a laugh.

* * *

Johnny gently cupped her face in his hands.

"Look, I know this is kinda of a huge decision, I realize that, but Mary Jane this feels right to me. I like you, you like me, we have a couple of things in common. I think the only thing really missing right now is the actual boyfriend/girlfriend relationship part so I think we need to go out on a date and get to know each other a little better. I'm willing to try and I think you are too."

"I don't know."

"I do, so just think about it and let's get you to that photo-shoot."

"I can't go like this though; we have to stop at ESU so I can get ready at my dorm and then we can go."

"Wherever you wanna go Mary Jane, I'll take you there." He said with a charming smile as he scooped her up in his arms and walked towards his window, "Open." He said.

The whole wall slid to the side creating a giant opening in the Baxter Building. Johnny ignited his feet and took to the morning air with Mary Jane in tow.

* * *

 **Elsewhere-Chinatown- Python Night-Club**

The feared and respected **Mister Negative** opened his solid white eyes and glanced over his bare black photo-negative shoulder to see several trusted inner demons as well as his best asset and fighter **, Silver Sable**. She had an unreadable expression on her beautiful face as she and the others waited patiently for him to respond to their presence.

"Speak." He finally commanded, "And tell me news of my victory."

Sable stepped forward and kneeled before her temporary _'master'_ of sorts. She looked at the yin and yang tattoo in the middle of his back for a moment before hanging her head.

"There is no victory Negative…."

One of the inner demons behind her cleared their throat loudly. Sable gritted her teeth.

"There is no victory….Master. The only news I have for you is of a truce."

"Truce?" Mr. Negative replied in a dangerous tone.

"Yes. Wilson Fisk has called a meeting between the Owl, you and himself to discuss terms of a cease fire. As the streets run with blood no one has really made any money and so he suggests that we equally divide the city just like before."

"Does he? And you believed that this was worth my time hearing?" he asked curtly.

"Yes, I do." She returned fearlessly, "And I'm not alone either."

* * *

The inner demon that cleared his throat stepped forward and knelt next to Silver Sable.

"I agree with the Silver devil my master."

"So you shame me too!" Negative exclaimed in a dangerously low tone.

"M-Master, I meant no shame! I only wanted to alert you to the offer that…."

Mr. Negative jumped from his spot and flipped in the air before landing on the ground and swiftly dashing towards the demon and shoving his hand through his chest and ripping his heart out.

Sable let out a gasp as blood splashed across her face.

* * *

The masked inner demon let out a sickening gurgle before toppling over to the right in a heap. The other demon masked henchmen took a step back as they all saw Mister Negative crush the bleeding heart in his black hand.

"There is no truce in war." He said "There is only victory or defeat and I will not be defeated by the likes of Fisk or this Owl person. Why are they not dead yet? I have given all of you ample resources and yet for eleven months both have evaded death. So tell me. WHY!? WHY DO YOU DISAPPOINT ME?!" he roared, with spit flying out of his mouth.

Silver Sable remained quiet. She had known him long enough to know when he was angry it was best to not talk in fear of enraging him even more. The inner demons instantly dropped to their knees and held their heads down in shame as well.

"We apologize master. The one called Fisk is as cunning. He has resources and formidable foes under his command. The one called Bullseye has killed many of our brethren."

Mister Negative turned away from his inner demons; he knew the name and the man well enough.

"Yes, Bullseye." He said to no one in particular.

The legendary Assassin's reputation preceded him and it seems that even his most elite of assassin's faired no chance against him.

' _It seems Fisk has chosen to keep wise company, hopefully I've made the right choice in right hand men as well.'_

"He is skilled but not that skilled." Came Sable's voice.

* * *

Mister Negative turned to her.

"I can take him in one on one combat however he likes to stick to the shadows and hit from behind. I need a diversion or something to draw him out so I can finish him."

Mister Negative put a hand to his chin and contemplated her words for a long moment and that's when a devious idea appeared into his mind. Wilson Fisk wanted to meet and no doubt the meeting was a trap however they had the element of surprise on their side.

"Perhaps that could be arranged. My newest disciple has been cleared by the doctors and I believe he is eager to stretch his new limbs and training."

Sable looked at him with a curious stare before he shouted the name of someone she thought she'd never see or hear again.

"HAMMERHEAD, come out here!"

* * *

Sable and the inner demons turned their gaze to the red double that lead into their Master's private dojo. The double doors jostled before being thrown open revealing Hammerhead.

The former gangster was sporting significant facial scars thanks to the pumpkin bombs in his face courtesy of Harold Osborn. The flesh on the left side was mangled almost beyond recognition while the right had a small laceration going across his cheek. He was missing his left ear as well as his left eye which was obviously a fake, it had been replaced with a special type of polymer metal and there was a blood red pupil in the center. The pumpkin bomb that had crippled him had also severed his left leg but he didn't walk with a limp because it too was replaced with a synthetic metal polymer, the same technology that his eye was composed of; all of these new improvements were thanks to his new master Mister Negative.

"How are you feeling Hammerhead?" Mister Negative asked.

"Better." He responded in his usual raspy voice.

"Meditation is a value tool to utilize, my student."

Hammerhead came to a stop where Sable and the other inner demons were and he bowed.

"I will not forget Master. What is it that you wish of me?"

"I want you to help me win a war. Since you've been rebuilt from the atrocious state Osborn left you there has been some upheaval in the underworld. There is Anarchy on the streets but there are three major players vying for power, myself, the Owl and Fisk."

"Fisk is back?" Hammerhead asked.

"Yes." Mister Negative replied "He has recently declared a truce between the three of us, a cease fire. He wishes to meet."

"Only to kill you." Hammerhead said with certainty, "I know that bastard well and if it's war we're in then he's gonna use every trick he knows to get himself back into his old seat."

"Or maybe he just wants the bloodshed to stop, so business can return to normal." Said Sable.

"Yes, normal, with him on top and the rest of feeding off of his scraps." Mister Negative replied curtly, "No. I will not allow that man the chance to call himself Kingpin again. It is because of him and his wife that things are in such disarray, and if she had not been killed then I would've found a way to kill her."

"Then why don't you find a way to kill Fisk yourself instead of sending us to do your dirty work." Sable returned.

* * *

Mister Negative's eyes widen in fury at her insolence however before he could say anything Hammerhead whipped towards her and backhanded her in the face. Sable went tumbling over with a split lip but she was back on her feet in an instant with a dagger in her hand. She glared at Hammerhead but stopped when she felt the electrified heat from the inner demon swords next to her neck. She glanced to see that she was surrounded.

Sable said a curse and slowly lowered her blade.

* * *

Mister Negative chuckled as he walked to her and grabbed her by the chin forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"I admire the fire Sable, one of the many reasons why I keep you around however if you do not learn your place and learn it soon your usefulness will grow very short." He said.

The photo-negative villain released his hold on her and turned away from his subordinates.

"I have no doubt that Fisk is setting a trap for me which is why I will not be going to this meeting however you will be going in my steed Hammerhead. You will listen to the agreement and stall long enough for Sable to take out Bullseye and Fisk, is that clear."

"Yes master." Hammerhead replied.

"And what about the Owl?" Sable asked.

"Kill him too if you must, he is of no consequence to me. I have spoken, now all of you leave me."

The inner demons lowered their swords and proceeded to walk away. Sable hesitated for a moment but a stern glare from the disfigured Hammerhead made her walk away while jamming her dagger back into its holster.

' _One day Negative, just not today.'_ She thought to herself as she exited the room with Hammerhead right behind her.

* * *

 **Brooklyn- Williamsburg- Butcher shop**

Leland Owlsley better known to all as **the Owl** , was a less than attractive forty seven year old man. He had thick brown hair growing all around his head, an unkempt thick brown beard that adorned his face and large bug like green eyes that were serious and focused. He had a deep tan complexion along with small teeth that had a gap in the front.

He was wearing a green shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark brown slacks and brown shoes. The Owl wiped some of the blood that was on his hands off of on the apron that was around his waist and he went back to the bloody and tender meat that was in front of him.

* * *

He carefully cut off of piece of the meat and then placed it in his mouth, savoring the tangy, bitter and coppery taste. The butcher shop he was standing in belonged to his great-grandfather, who was a butcher. From the time his great-grandfather got off the boat from the old country and set up business there had always been an Owlsley in Brooklyn tending to the meat that everyday folks ate. First it was his great-grandfather, then his grandfather, and finally his father. Each one of them fighting for what's theirs, earning a right to where they were when they died. A respected crime lord. All of them, except himself. He was the only Owlsley who had forfeited their home and fled the city in fear of his wretched life.

It boiled his blood as he thought about his cowardice, as he thought about his enemies Daredevil as well as Wilson Fisk the Kingpin of crime. For years he spent wallowing in shame but now he had a second chance. He had a second chance to reclaim what was his and reclaim the respect for his name that had been lost in his absence. The streets had forgotten the Owl, but he'd be sure to remind them once he killed Fisk and became the new Kingpin of Crime.

* * *

The Owl picked up the big butcher's knife and he turned to the floor where a portly bound and gagged man sat. The man cowered in fear as he stared up at his torturer. The Owl bent down and grabbed him by the bleeding stump that used to be his left arm. He slammed the stump down on the cutting board.

"You think you can cheat me!" he exclaimed "You think you can betray me and get away with it! NOT ON YOUR F****** LIFE!"

The Owl brought the butcher's knife down on the stump and chopped a large chunk of flesh from the portly man who could only scream and spit into his gag. The Owl let him go and he began to tend to the pound of flesh he had taken from his prisoner. A former employee who wanted to jump ship.

He began to tend to the meat by cutting off the skin and fat, cutting around the bone which left nothing but the soft muscle. He cut off a piece and put it in his mouth and slowly chewed it savoring the taste.

* * *

The Butcher shop began to rumble for a moment before the facet to the left of him began to spew water onto the ground. He watched with mild interest as the water formed into his top enforcer Morris Bench aka Hydro-Man.

"You're late." The Owl snarled.

"I know. I've been trying to find some people."

"Did you take care of our Hawk problem?" The Owl asked.

"Popped him like a balloon and I christened the new leader, I made a few threats about his sister and mother and he has sworn to me that he will not be another disappointment."

"Good, I want them out there hitting Fisk and this Mister Negative and every turn." The Owl replied, "I them all to know that I am running things. And you better be on time and ready to kill everyone at that meeting."

"I'll do my part Owlsley, don't you worry about that." Hydro-Man replied curtly "You just better deliver on my reward."

* * *

The Owl nodded his head.

"Oh and one more thing Morris, when you take care of everyone leave Fisk alive."

"Why?"

"Because he stole a pound of flesh from me once…." The Owl started before turning to the cowering and crying portly man in the corner, "And I intended to get it back." He finished while placing another piece of the man's flesh into his mouth and chewing it.

* * *

 **Hell's Kitchen- Underground Bunker**

Wilson Fisk pressed the last bullet into the clip and then snapped it into the pistol and placed the gun in front of him right next to the other pistol. He looked up and around the bunker that was filled with a few other men and woman, hired mercenaries who were getting their own weapons ready.

The former Kingpin grabbed the cigar that was in the ash tray and he put it between his lips and took a long drag before puffing out the smoke. He smiled.

Wilson was enjoying himself. In the beginning he had been rather annoyed that he had to once again reclaim his empire and repair the damage done by his deceased wife but as the days, and weeks rolled by he found that he liked reclaiming what was his. He was back in his natural element of guns, smoke, and violence. In his tenure as Kingpin, the bouts of violence were sporadic at best and he would use hitmen but now that he was back out on the streets and had to do everything himself he felt alive.

* * *

He felt the sleeping lion that was buried deep inside him awaken, the teeth were bared and claws were out and the beast was ready to rip through anyone or anything in its path. Fisk grabbed the ice-pick that was sticking up in front of him and placed it in the ankle holster on his right side.

' _Negative and Owlsley, of all the would be Kingpins those are the two that would dare stand in my way.'_ He thought to himself, _'I was expecting a better challenge. I'm thinking Murdock will provide that challenge but I'll handle him and his little band of costumes after I deal with these two.'_

* * *

Bullseye entered through the metal doors of their stronghold and he eyed all of the weapons and mercenaries who were getting armed to the teeth and readying themselves for a battle. He smirked and put a tooth pick in his mouth, adjusted the strap to the bag that was slung over his back and strolled up to Fisk who leaned back in his seat and let out a few puffs of smoke.

"Report."

"its set." said Bullseye, "Owl and Negative both reached out and they'll meet with you but if I had to guess they've got the same idea we do. They're coming with their best."

"Good." Fisk returned "I want them both to come with all they got. Is that my sniper rifle?"

Bullseye nodded his head and slung the bag over his shoulder and onto the table with a thud.

"Custom designed just liked you asked." Bullseye replied.

Fisk eyed the weapon and was about to open it when Bullseye stopped him by placing a hand on the zipper.

"We have a small problem though."

"What?" he asked.

"I talked to your…..ace in the hole and while he is in town and has agreed to help, we don't have the cash to cover his price, nor do we have enough to cover the police fund to keep the beat cops away from the meet point and then there's the matter of my own paycheck which was a bit light. I think you need to check your financial standing because I'm not working for free."

Fisk moved Bullseye's hand out of the way.

"I'm well aware of my financial standing Bullseye, which is why I have a recently acquired a part time associate who is making a withdrawal from a few banks as we speak. I have everything under control, just make sure everything is set for the meet and you better bring your A game."

"Don't I always."

* * *

Wilson quickly opened the bag and he eyed his high powered custom designed sniper rifle intently. He had to chuckle as he let out a puff of smoke from his cigar.

' _Just like the old days.'_

Bullseye cleared his throat, which got Fisk's attention.

"What is it?"

"There's one last problem. The word on the street is that the Owl has a crazy enforcer on his side that's got some serious fire power. They say he might be a mutant or something but no one knows. All they know is that when he comes, there's usually blood, guts, and a sh** ton of water left behind. I guess the guy has a water fetish or something."

* * *

Fisk leaned back in his seat, cradling his custom sniper rifle. He rubbed his chin as a contemplative look crossed his features.

"I think you need to call another one of your associates." Said Bullseye but Fisk shook his head.

"No, as you've so kindly pointed out, my money is stretched a bit thin between you, my ace in the hole and these well trained mercenaries behind you. I think if Mr. Owsley has such a tough enforcer, I think I'm gonna have to have something a bit tougher."

"What did you have in mind?" Bullseye asked.

"I want you to make it so that our little Kingpin meeting winds up in the ears of Murdock. Owsley has a mutant and I have a hero." He said with a smirk _'And if I play my cards right, I'll be able to take out three birds with one stone.'_

* * *

 **Elsewhere: Broadway- 2:30 pm**

"Okay Mary Jane look into the camera and give me love baby."

Mary Jane Watson struck a pose as she stared straight ahead at the camera and the photographer. He snapped the photo and put a large smile on his face.

"GREAT!" He shouted, "Okay girls move in a little closer to Mary Jane, now all of you sell me sexy. Sell it."

The other attractive models that were standing on the platform inched closer to Mary Jane and they all smiled and struck a pose for the photographer with MJ front and center.

"I Love it. I Love it. I Love it. You girls are my angels." He said as he snapped the photo.

* * *

 **Few Minutes later**

The eighteen year old Mary Jane Watson grabbed a water bottle and sat down on a nearby bench and watched the camera crew re-arrange the makeshift photography set for the next couple of photos the photographer for the magazine wanted. She heaved a sigh and took a long swig.

"Oh my God you are so beautiful. I bet the other girls are soo jealous." Came a voice next to her that had a hint of sarcasm.

* * *

MJ turned to the voice to see a stunningly beautiful platinum haired teen with shades over her eyes that was about her age sitting next to her. She smiled.

"Thanks. I've just been blessed with good genes I guess." She replied humbly.

"That you have. You, Me and those girls have all been blessed." The platinum blonde returned with a chuckle "We are God's chosen people and you should take a little pride in that. I've seen your work and sometimes it looks like you're in the moment and you love your job but other times it looks like your mind is somewhere else."

"You can tell all that from a photo?" Mary Jane questioned.

"I've dabbled in the modeling game and I've learned to read between the lines or photos. So, tell me Mary Jane what's on your mind?"

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

" _DIE!" The Green Goblin shouted as he rammed his fist through Gwen's stomach._

* * *

Mary Jane took another swig from the bottle and looked away from the model.

"Nothing in particular."

The platinum blonde chuckled.

"It's a man isn't it? It's always a man." She said in an exasperated tone, "So come on tell me what happened, did he dump you, did you dump him."

Mary Jane scoffed and turned to face her fully. She narrowed her eyes and she got a good look at the platinum hair and shapely build. The girl was very familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen her before. The platinum blonde smiled as she read MJ's face.

"Why do you look so familiar?" Mary Jane questioned after a long second.

She took her shades off.

"We've probably seen each other around but we've never been formally introduced. I'm Felicia Hardy."

* * *

Mary Jane heard the name and recognition crossed her features which Felicia instantly picked up on it.

"You've heard my name before." She said more than asked.

"Y-Yeah, maybe around the hallways at Midtown High."

"Either that or through a mutual friend of ours, I think you know him and I need his help."

Mary Jane didn't answer, when Felicia said her name she immediately knew that this was the Black Cat, the thief that Peter had told her and Gwen about. After recognizing her MJ wracked her brain trying to think of a reason why she would be talking to her however hearing her talk about their mutual friend she quickly guessed where the conversation was leading. And now that Mary Jane knew Felicia's intent the thief would be severely disappointed because she had no intention of helping her.

* * *

Mary Jane stood up from the bench.

"I don't know who you're talking about." She said while turning to walk away but she felt a firm hand on her arm.

MJ saw Felicia's perfectly manicured fingers latched onto her arm.

"Let go." Mary Jane growled.

"Not until you tell me where he is because I need him."

"You're gonna need a Paramedic if you don't let me go in the next three seconds."

Felicia scoffed.

"I'm shaking in my five hundred dollar boots." She replied while only tightening her grip.

Mary Jane grimaced and was about to punch her when a giant shadow passed over all of them. She, Felicia and everyone else looked up to see a massive pile of flying sand pass over them. The sand landed on the ground in front of a Bank and quickly formed into that of Flint Marko aka **the Sandman**.

* * *

Mary Jane gasped at the sight of the Sandman. She quickly reached for her phone in her pocket.

' _I hope you're close by Johnny.'_ She thought to herself.

* * *

A fist made of sand rocketed out of his chest and smashed the glass doors of the bank spraying glass in every direction which gave him a clear path inside. He strolled through the doors not caring about the guards who had their weapons upon him. He barely heard them say anything even as they opened fire.

The bullets lodged themselves into his body but they did nothing to stop his singular trek to the vaults where all the money resided. Flint knew he could kill them both but he had no interest in either of them all he wanted to do was get the money and get out.

* * *

After eleven months of causing mayhem and destruction all in the hopes of drawing out Spider-Man had yielded no results and so he found himself bored.

He normally wasn't one for mindless destruction but he was not opposed to doing it if it meant getting something he wanted and what he wanted was Spider-Man. Eleven months ago made the second time that Spider-Man had defeated him and it did not sit well with him in the slightest. Even with him working with the so called Sinister Six he was still beaten. Once he escaped Shield and the authorities it took a while for him to pull himself back together but when he did he went on the search for the wall-crawler, but no one had seen him since his battle with the Green Goblin. He didn't want to believe that he was dead but after eleven months of not one single web at any of his robbery sites he was beginning to believe the rumors were true….and that did not sit well with him either. It made him angry thinking about it.

He was a man that prided himself on his reputation and his reputation as an enforcer had been tarnished thanks to what he believed to be an idiot in spider themed rags.

* * *

The Sandman made his body turn to sand and a dozen of hands fired out and grabbed the vault door that was in front of him and they easily ripped the solid metal off of its hinges and threw it to the side nearly crushing a teenage kid however the kid was tackled out of the way by Felicia.

 **SMMMMMMMMMMMASHHHHHHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of the vault door hitting the wall and busting through it.

The hands of sand each grabbed a stack of money and shoved it into a bag and then retracted into the Sandman's body.

"DROP THE MONEY!" came a shout.

* * *

The Sandman continued to stuff the money into the sacks however he made his head turn all the way around until he was able to see an officer standing behind him with his gun out.

"Haven't you learned that thing won't do anything to me?"

"I don't care. I took an oath to uphold the law and protect people from freaks like you!" The officer exclaimed.

* * *

 **A few feet away**

"You okay?" Felicia asked the teen that was under her.

"Y-Yeah….are you single?"

Felicia scowled, then rolled her eyes and looked towards the Sandman and the officer.

"Oh no." she whispered.

* * *

The Sandman lazily looked at him.

"Buddy, you're not the one I want so I'm givin you this one chance, this one chance to walk away. If I were you I'd take it otherwise I will kill you. I'll stake my reputation on it."

"I don't give a crap about your reputation. I'm not afraid of you and I'm not going to let you take people's hard earned money just because you're too stupid to get your own or because Satan turned you into a freak." The officer replied while glancing upward and at the chandelier lights that were hanging from the chain up above, "I refuse to yield, these people are my responsibility and I intend to save them from you."

The Officer raised his gun and fired at the chain holding the chandelier in place. The chain instantly snapped and went falling right on top of the unaware Sandman.

 **THUD!** Came the sound.

* * *

The chandelier scattered his sand all over the place and released his hold on the bags of money.

The officer looked away from the money and scattered sand and to the people that were still in the bank.

"EVERYONE GET OUT NOW!" he yelled.

* * *

The simple command was enough to make everyone scramble for the door. Felicia grabbed the kid under her and easily hoisted him to his feet and shoved him towards the large exit that everyone else was running through. All the while she did that she kept her eyes on the sand that was beginning to pull itself together.

' _I don't think that's a good thing.'_ She thought to herself.

As she was rushing to the exit she saw the bank officer reloading his gun and waiting for Sandman to reform.

' _Idiot.'_ She thought to herself while going over to him, "Come on let's go you're no match for that guy and there's no Spider-Man to save you."

"So." The officer returned, "At least I'll die for something, just like my sister who was killed a few months ago by the Sandman. She was just doing her job, protecting the innocent, up holding the law just like our father taught us and this freak up and kills her just because he can well I'm not running, either I'm gonna kill this bastard or he's gonna kill me." He said angrily as he let off a round into the sand bursting a few grain back to the ground but overall doing nothing to stop him from reforming.

Felicia shook her head at the officer and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"I think there has been enough killing."

Felicia with the struggling officer in tow rushed out of the bank and into the fleeing crowd of New Yorkers. Everyone was screaming and scrambling to get away from the bank just as a massive cloud of sand burst through the building and formed into a giant Sandman.

* * *

 **Outside**

Felicia looked over her shoulder to see fifty foot tall Sandman behind her.

"Oh my God." She whispered.

The Sandman spotted her and the struggling officer and so he reached out for the two of them however before his hand could reach them a shout above the screams caught his attention.

"FLAME ON!"

* * *

The Human Torch flew down towards the giant Sandman and he unleashed a stream of fire upon his outstretched hand. The blazing hot fire seared the sand into glass making it brittle and weak which made it that much easier for Johnny to fly through it and smash it to pieces. The Sandman let out a body shaking roar.

Johnny curved upward through the air until he was hovering at eye level to the Sandman.

"Today started out normal enough and you just had to ruin it." He said.

The Sandman, with his good hand took a swing at Johnny but the teen swerved out of the way and threw out a fireball that hit him in the face.

* * *

 **Down Below**

"LET GO OF ME!" The officer shouted as he tried to wrestle himself from Felicia's grip. She let him go and watched as he fell to the ground. The thief looked away from him and to Johnny who was doing his best to battle the giant Sandman. For a moment she was conflicted. She wanted to run away just like everyone else however she knew that he would need some help against his almost impossibly tall foe.

' _Run away…just run away.'_

Felicia spotted the Sandman making a hand form in the middle of his chest. In the hand made of sand were several heavy money bags. The Sandman waited for a moment before throwing the bags at the Human Torch distracting the teen long enough for him to swat him out of the sky.

"Damn it." She grumbled to herself, "Here I go again risking my neck for complete strangers. I swear to God I don't know how he got under my skin so deeply." She whispered to herself.

Felicia looked around until she spotted a cement truck a few yards back, she narrowed her eyes and quickly ran over to the vehicle.

* * *

 **UP above**

Johnny shook the sand from his hair and face after which gave him a good view of the giant foot that was heading right for him. He gasped and then rolled out of the way just as it came down with a loud boom.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Johnny quickly got to his feet and ignited his flames and took to the sky once more. He spotted a glob of flying sand past by him; the glob quickly curved and tried to douse his flames however he swerved to the left and out of the way. He turned to look at the Sandman who fired a dozen more globs of sand at him. Johnny did his best to dodge them as them came but one hit him and he could feel the sand constricting and trying its best to put out his flames however before they could do any real damage he increased his flames turning the grains to glass.

Johnny felt some sand wrap around his feet briefly cutting off of his flames making him drop through the air for a moment before he ignited his feet again and turned the sand to glass.

"This guy." He said to himself.

 **HONK! HONK! HONK!**

* * *

Johnny glanced down to the ground to see a speeding cement truck heading towards the giant Sandman. It only took him a moment before he caught on to the plan from whoever was driving the vehicle. The Human Torch dove downward.

* * *

Felicia swallowed hard as she opened the door to the truck. She saw the speeding road and the feet of the Sandman approaching quickly.

"And I like this outfit too." She said before jumping out of the truck, tucking and rolling.

* * *

Felicia skidded along the ground getting a few scraps, nicks and bumps and right as she came out of her roll she saw the Human Torch fly right over her.

Johnny swooped towards the gas tank and he fired a fireball as the tank before moving away.

 **KKKABOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the truck exploded and spraying metal and cement in every direction. The Sandman shield himself as best as he could from the cement that mixed with his sand causing it to clump together in several places. He tried to turn and that's when dozens of solid cement sections of his leg cracked and then peeled away from the soft shifting sand that was his body. He wobbled on his feet before finally toppling over to the ground with a loud earth shaking thud.

 **THUUUUUUUUUD!**

* * *

Felicia slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position and along with everyone else tensely looked at the toppled mound of sand in the middle of Broadway. Johnny floated up above looking for any sign that the Sandman had been defeated, he was hoping that would be it easy but he knew that nothing was ever that simple and so he held his hands out at the ready.

"Come on I'm ready you sonuva…." He started before a fist made of sand shot out from the ground and smacked into him send him flying back and through the window of an office building.

The young fire starter bounced along the office floor setting the carpet, desk and papers on fire in the process.

* * *

Felicia bit her lip as she saw a raging fire emerging from the office building Johnny went crashing through however her attention was quickly diverted to the violently shaking ground beneath her and everyone else.

 **ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRR!** went the loud shout from a colossal wave of sand that came shooting up from the ground. The sand formed into a face for a brief moment before flying forward and spreading over everyone and everything in its path. Everyone screamed as they were caught within his sandstorm.

* * *

Felicia held up her hands and tried to guard herself against the whipping winds of sand that partially invaded all of her senses. She could hear people all around her screaming at the top of their lungs as they tried to get away from the blinding swirling sand that was beating and knocking them all over the place. The young thief heard the sound of feet in front of her and so she lowered her hands to see the Sandman in front of her with a scowl on his face. He backhanded her in the face and sent her flying back and to the ground. Marko turned away from her and through the millions and millions of grains of sands that swarmed about the people he spotted the officer from the bank.

He floated through his sand cloud until he was standing in front of the officer. The Officer's eyes suddenly cleared up of any sand giving him a clear view of the powerful villain.

"You're under arrest." He said defiantly while holding up his gun.

"Should've taken the offer, I'm a man of my word and my reputation is on the line."

"I'm not afraid of you." He said, letting off another bullet.

* * *

Felicia from her spot on the ground managed to see the officer.

"NO! RUN!" she shouted.

* * *

Marko narrowed his eyes and turned his hand into a sand spike and shoved it through the man's chest.

"You should've been." He said while watching the life slowly faded from the man's eyes and once he was sure he was dead he gathered up all of his sand and drifted away on the wind, leaving a trail of broken bones, blood and death in his wake, just as the police and fire department arrived on the scene.

* * *

 **Office Building**

People ran about screaming at the top of their lung, trying their best to get away from the raging flames.

"EVERYONE MOVE TO THE SIDE!" JOhnny yelled as he held out his hands and began to absorb the fire. While he did that, through the hole he created he saw the Sandman fly away, ' _Damn'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

 **Outside**

Felicia gasped at the dead man on the ground. She didn't know how long she sat there looking at his lifeless body but it was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her right to see a sand covered Mary Jane Watson looking back at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm pretty far from okay." Felicia replied, "That stupid idiot should've ran but he didn't he stood their like…like…he was going to do something and now he's dead. And, it's your fault."

Mary Jane scrunched her face in confusion.

"Excuse me! How is this my fault?"

"You let Peter quit or disappear and now look around. This city has gone to complete sh** since then! He started something and he can't just walk out at least not until it's finished so you need to tell me right now where he is. He needs to see what's happening without him."

Mary Jane turned away from her.

"No. I won't." she said adamantly "He's done enough, he's suffered enough. I won't tell you or anyone else where he is."

* * *

Felicia stepped to her.

"What if I punched or kicked you really really hard you think you would be in the talking mood then little miss model."

Mary Jane stepped to her so both women where face to face, nose to nose.

"Bring it. I can give as good as I get bitch." Mary Jane growled "Peter is done with that life."

"Well sister I hate to break this to you but the life ain't finished with him. This is but the tip of the ice burg. There's another storm of epic proportions brewing in the underworld and it's starting to spill over, so if he doesn't make a comeback soon, we're all in for a world of hurt."

"Unlike you, we're New Yorkers, we can brave any storm thrown at us. If it's too much for you to handle why don't you pack up your five hundred dollar boots as well as that bullsh** Harry Potter accent and shuffle on back to England or wherever the hell it is you're from, because we'll be just fine."

"Oh really, well let's ask Dudley Do Right over there if he's fine or if he fared well in that storm. Oh that's right we can't ask him anything because he's dead."

"Dudley Do right is Canadian, you do know that right."

"THAT NOT THE POINT!" Felicia yelled at the top of her lungs, but it was then that her shoulder began to throb painfully.

She wanted to punch Mary Jane in the face however there were too many witnesses around and she was sore, so the angered thief scoffed and whipped away from red haired teen and stormed down the street with the intention of heading home to rest her aching body.

' _Fine, if you won't help me on your own accord then I'll just have to make you help me. This isn't over red, not by a long shot.'_

* * *

Mary Jane watched Felicia leave and once the girl was out of eye sight she released the breath she hadn't even known she was holding. She looked at all of the destruction as well as the dead officer before feeling her legs buckle for a moment. She didn't want to agree with Felicia, at least to her face but she knew something like this was bound to happen, ever since the first day Peter told her he was quitting.

Even though she wasn't as connected to the underworld like Felicia she knew that there was something on the horizon. Spider-Man was an important figure and his absence was bound to be felt. And so she had been anticipating something like this but she was reluctant in contacting Peter.

* * *

She knew that the best thing for him was to heal from the emotional rollercoaster of turmoil and despair that the Green Goblin put him through when he killed not only his Aunt but Gwen; their death had affected her as well but she did not take it as hard as he did nor did she blame herself. Mary Jane thought about how she had to watch him almost waste away because of the overwhelming guilt that plagued him. He almost didn't graduate from Midtown High.

She remembered how she had to basically hold him together till the end of the school year where soon after he just completely fell apart. He had been recovering in that time and the last time she saw him he looked like was doing better and she couldn't ruin that progress by mentioning the very thing that he believed to have ruined his life. The Amazing Spider-Man.

' _I can't'_ she thought to herself _'I'm sure with all the other vigilantes emerging one will be up to the task of taking on whatever is coming. In the grand scheme of things I don't think the world needs Spider-man as much as it needs Peter Parker.'_

* * *

A bright light found its way over her. She looked up just as Johnny Storm landed down in front of her. He rushed up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine Johnny, are you okay? The Sandman hit you kinda hard."

"Yeah, my organs are a bit rattled but you can't keep a good superhero down." He said before turning to look at the dead officer behind him, "Although what kinda of superhero let's the bad guy do this and get away."

"Don't start, you did everything you could." Said Mary Jane.

"Yeah I know." He whispered "Come on let's get out of here."

Johnny scooped her up in his arms and took to the sky.

* * *

 **Upper East-Side- Ravencroft treatment Facility for the emotionally disturbed- Common Room**

"Sometimes I think about what would've happened if my cousin hadn't found me on the floor that day. I think about what would've happened if I would've just peacefully faded from this life and into the next."

"Charlie, when do you get these feelings? Are they everyday?" asked, twenty-eight year old psychologist, **Dr. Ashley Kafka.**

* * *

She was a woman of average height with brunette hair, fair skin and a slim build. Dr. Kafka loved helping people and like her father she had always wanted to be a psychologist. She wanted to help people with their issues whether it was the severely psychotic like the patients she treated at St. Joseph's or the emotionally troubled, neglected or abused teens and young adults like the ones in small circle group in front of her.

* * *

She had been treating each of them for the better part of six months and she had managed to get through to a few of them, like Charlie White, a bipolar young man who often fluctuated between violent mood swings and severe depression. She watched as he nervously shifted in his seat.

"Charlie?"

"No. I don't feel like that everyday; the meds help but really, ever since my mother came back into my life, they've been coming less and less but they're still there those thoughts."

"You have to focus on the positive side of life Charlie. Whenever those thoughts creep up, just redirect it to the relationship that you're rebuilding with your mother, the joy that you feel when you talk to her."

"I try but it's just so easy to fall back into old habits."

"Negativity is often easy. It's easy to find the bad and give up. It takes strength to turn a negative into a positive. It takes strength to stay focus and persevere in the face of adversity and Charlie you are stronger than you know; to able to talk about these things proves that. Everyone here is stronger than they know."

Charlie smiled a little.

"Thanks Dr. Kafka."

"Thank-you for sharing with us Charlie, I know that this was hard for you but everyday you're getting better." She replied.

The small gathered group of teens and young adults clapped lightly which only made Dr. Kafka smile a bit more. She looked at her watch and then around the group until her eyes spotted one teen in particular. He was eighteen and was admitted to the facility about six months ago right after his High School graduation, just about the same time that she had started working at the facility.

He was one of her first patients and she still hadn't been able to crack his very tough shell. She often found him sitting in a chair staring at the wall; right now he was sitting in the group but his attention was focused on a spider that was crawling in its web in the corner of the room. Dr. Kafka found that one on one therapy wouldn't work for him so she was trying something new. She thought that him being around his peers would open him up but so far she got nothing out of him, but that wouldn't keep her from trying.

"We're almost out of time but we have just enough time left for you to introduce yourself to the group, Mr. Parker." She said.

* * *

 **Peter Parker** lazily turned his dreary eyes away from the spider in the web and looked at the cheerful Dr. Kafka. She was tenacious one. She had been trying to get him to talk for months but so far he hadn't said anything to her or to anyone other than the few times Mary Jane had mustered the courage to visit him.

Peter scratched his thinly growing beard and then looked away from her while waving his hand in a passing motion.

* * *

Dr. Kafka sighed and stood from her chair.

"Mr. Parker sooner or later you're going to have to say something. I'm not going to quit, I'm going to help you get better, mark my words."

"HEY ASH!"

* * *

Ashley turned around to see one of the orderly's, a man named Jared walking towards her. She liked Jared. He was a nice guy however she wished he would see that there is nothing between them except friendship.

"Hi Jared, what is it I was just…"

"May I talk to you over here please." He asked.

Ashley nodded her head.

"Okay group, today was a good session. I'll be back tomorrow."

Dr. Kafka quickly followed Jared to the side.

* * *

"I'm sorry to bother you during group but we've got problems."

"Problems being plural? Well that's not good, what's the first pressing problem?"

"One of your newer patients, **Edward Brock** , has gone missing. We're trying to find him now but so far no one has seen him."

"Oh God." She said "He's another one that's a tough nut to crack."

"Well to be fair everyone in here in a nut." Said Jared in a joking tone but the look on Dr. Kafka's face quickly shut him up.

"That's not what I was referring to Jared. Do not call these people nuts, they've just had a rough go of life and it's our duty to help them." She said sternly.

"I'm sorry."

"What's the last problem?"

"We got a new admission and the director wants you to do a quick evaluation on him, just to see if we can keep him at this facility or transfer his ass someplace else. I want you to know though that this guy…he's gonna test your little theory about not calling people nuts, guess who our new admission is."

"Who?"

"Kasady" He replied, " **Cletus Kasady.** "

* * *

Dr. Kafka gasped. She had heard about him, everyone has heard about him and now he was in her facility and possibly going to be under her care. She composed herself and made up her mind to help him too, just like she was helping Peter, Eddie and the others.

"First we need to find Edward, excuse me Eddie, and then I'll deal with Kasady."

Jared nodded his head before turning and walking away. Dr. Kafka cast one last look at Peter, who was still sitting in the chair staring at the spider in the web, before silently following behind Jared.

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review:** **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. First off WOW! I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome back. I was not expecting that many reviews for the first chapter especially considering there was no Peter Parker, but once again you readers and your awesome reviews have shocked me. So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!**

 **As always I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I hope that I'm keeping everyone on the edge of their seat, making you think and ponder about what's gonna happen next.**

 **I wonder how many people expected Peter to be in a treatment facility, not a lot and I know that not a lot of people will agree with my choice. I initially had him go on some type of walkabout around the world, like Kung-Fu style (A TV show that anyone from the 90s or 70s will remember LOL!) but then I realized that it would take too many chapters for him to get back to NEW York and actually stay so I had to flip the script. You'll see next chapter.**

 **Anyway once again thank you all for returning to this story, hopefully the next chapter will be out soon and so the wait won't be that long. If you have any comments, rants, raves or anything in-between please leave it in the review or hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP! This is Nomad88 saying later…**

 **Next up: Spider, Interrupted**

* * *

 **Summary: Peter Parker still reeling from the deaths of not only his beloved Aunt May and love of his life Gwen Stacy, receives a dire warning, a venomous threat and a sincerely helping hand from three very different sources. Meanwhile the Three Kings of the Underworld prepare for their meeting while Flash and the rest of his Spider-Man Crew continue protecting the streets as the Amazing Spider-Man. Be there.**


	3. Spider, Interrupted

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 coming back at'cha with another brand new chapter in volume 3 of my Amazing Spider-Man Saga. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter because we're heading right into the next one. As always please continue to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Spider, Interrupted**

 **Months ago Parker Household**

" **DID YOU THINK I WAS A LIAR PETER? DID YOU THINK I WOULD NOT KEEP MY PROMISES**?"

"Pet…" Aunt May Whispered.

The Green Goblin prepared to break her neck when a yell reached his ears.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Peter yelled as he jumped towards the Green Goblin. He punched the Goblin in the face, shattering his jaw. He punched him once more before kicking the fiend in the chest sending him flying to the back door.

* * *

Peter turned towards his Aunt, relieved that he had saved her.

"It's going to be okay Aunt May. I promise."

"Will it Peter?" May asked in an icy cold tone.

Peter stared at her back and he recoiled in terror as her head suddenly turned all the way around to face him.

"DO I LOOK OKAY TO YOU!?"

Peter took a step back from the grotesque sight of his Aunt

"No." he whispered.

"Pete. How about me? Do I look okay?"

Peter gasped as Harry appeared next to him wearing his Hobgolin outfit. He had a large knife sticking out of his chest and blood pouring out of his mouth. Harry looked down at the knife and then back up to Peter.

"I don't feel okay Pete."

" **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** "

* * *

Peter saw the Green Goblin rise out of the ground in front of him. The teen gritted his teeth in anger and sent his fist through the Goblin's head, shattering him to a million pieces of glass on the ground.

" **HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** " the laugh echoed while the fiend once again rose out of the ground only two more had taken the place of the first one. Both Goblin's charged at him. Peter kicked one in the chest and the flipped the other over his side. He lifted his foot and brought it down onto the laughing menace.

"SHUT UP!"

"PETER!"

Peter looked to see Gwen in the hands of the Green Goblin again.

"GWEN!" Peter shouted in terror. He tried to go to her when from the shattered pieces of glass dozens of Green Goblin's emerged, each laughing and each ready to fight.

"PETER!"

"Hang on GWEN!" he yelled while punching one in the face and jumping over another one that tried to tackle him from behind. Peter made a mad dash for her, tossing and shoving anything that got into his path. He was inches away from her when he was punched in the jaw and sent flying back and into the awaiting arms of his enemy.

A Green Goblin emerged from the ground in front of him and grabbed him by the front of his costume.

" **Trying to save her boy, well it won't happen**." The Goblin before kneeing him in the stomach. The shockwave sending ripples of pain throughout his body, but he fought through it and managed to break free of his captors and spear the Goblin in front of him across the waist. He punched him and then looked up at Gwen who was desperately reaching out for him.

"Hold on!"

"PETER!"

* * *

Peter turned to the left to see a Green Goblin standing there with his Aunt in his graps.

"NO!"

" **Choose**." The Green Goblin said, "Pick on Spider-Man, time is running out, there is no way to save them both by yourself.

"It's me you want, kill me! I'm right here Osborn!"

The Green Goblin's smirked.

" **Times up**." He said, " **I'll choose for you and I choose both!** "

Peter roared as he heard the Green Goblin snapping his Aunt's neck again. He watched as she fell to the ground, a piece of his heart went with her, but the other half was still alive. He jumped towards her but dozens of Green Goblin's jumped after him and brought him down to the ground hard. He struggled but their grip was too tight.

"GWEN! GWEN! GWEN!" He called out.

The Goblin reared his arm back.

* * *

Peter saw what was about to happen and with every ounce of his spider-strength he threw the Green Goblin apparitions off of him. He grabbed one by the front of his purple armored vest and threw him at the Goblin that was about to hurt Gwen.

 **THUD!** Came the sound of the two of them smacking together. He then fired a web and pulled Gwen towards him and into his arms.

* * *

He jumped into the air and began to swing away from them.

"I got you Gwen don't worry. It's going to be okay, I promise." He said reassuringly to her.

" **My hero**."

Peter looked at Gwen and to his horror it was the Green Goblin in his arms. The Green Goblin fit his hands around his throat and began to choke the life out of him.

" **MY HERO!** " he shouted.

Peter let go of his web and the two of them went falling and falling to the water below.

 **SPLASH!** Went the sound of them both hitting the water.

* * *

Peter struggled with the Goblin and managed to shove him away; he fought through the water, trying his best to get the top however he felt something snag his foot. He looked to see three Green Goblin's pulling him back down into the murky blackness of the river down below.

" **No escape, HERO!** " The Green Goblin's voice echoed, " **I win. I always win**."

"PETER!" Gwen's voice echoed.

* * *

 **Treatment facility for the Emotionally Disturbed- Peter's Room- 7:30pm**

"GAHHHHHH!" Peter shouted as he shot up from his bed which was coated with his sweat. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked around the room and only relaxed once he spotted his roommate, Gavin, a scarred twenty-two year old young man that accidentally set himself on fire due to a drug related incident.

"For someone who can't talk, you came real close to saying something in your sleep. I think it sounded like Gwen." Said Gavin, who didn't look up from his Game of thrones book.

Peter ignored him and quickly went towards the bathroom the two of them shared and shut the door behind himself.

Gavin shrugged his shoulders.

"He is a weird one or maybe he's truly a mental defective and not just emotionally disturbed. I think I need to get a new roommate."

* * *

 **Bathroom**

Peter splashed some water on his face a few times and then looked at his haggard, sullen and partially bearded reflection in the mirror. He looked terrible but he didn't really care about his appearance.

"Stupid nightmare." He groaned to himself, "I guess that's what I get for eating that second box of stale animal crackers before going to sleep."

Peter turned off the water and dried his face and as he finished he glanced at the mirror and behind him, in the corner of the restroom was an odd looking red and black spider crawling in a web.

* * *

He watched as the eight legged creature gently spun its web and he watched it so intently that for a moment it seemed like he could feel the tiny arachnid in some way, almost as if he was connected to it and each strand of webbing that was banded together but as the feeling came it passed which made him look away. He honestly had had his fill of spiders, enough to last him for two lifetimes.

The teen looked to the mirror and at his reflection. He barely recognized himself, but he didn't care. He barely cared about anything anymore.

* * *

In the months that followed the Green Goblin incident he had barely spoken to anyone and that included Mary Jane, with whom he had stayed with in the wake of his Aunt's murder and the explosion that destroyed his home. Ana Watson had welcomed him with open arms but she could see how broken he was and knew he needed help and so she pulled some strings. She went to college with the woman that oversees Ravencroft facility and she was able to get him a room nearly free of charge. May's life insurance paid for most of it as well as the rather large settlement money paid out to him courtesy of Oscorp's new CEO Jason Macendale.

Peter didn't care where the money came from, nor did he care about Ravencroft, he didn't think he belonged however he didn't have the energy to argue with Ana when she suggested it. Mary Jane tried to talk her Aunt out of it and tried to get him to say something but all he wanted to do was sit in his chair and stare at the wall, reflecting upon his monumental failure to save his best friend Harry, his beloved Aunt May as well as the love of his life Gwen Stacy.

* * *

Mary Jane had often visited in the beginning and talked about life at Empire State University but as the months rolled along and his refusal to speak more than a few words she stopped by less and less. The only time he saw her now was during his television privileges. She had followed her dream and became an actress as well as an aspiring fashion model. So far she had only been in a couple small television roles and in a few jeans commercial ads but at least she was on the path to achieving her goals.

He was happy for her, he was happy that she had found a way to move on in the wake of not only Gwen's death but Harry's as well. It was something that he couldn't do no matter how hard he tried. The guilt and weight of his failure save his Aunt, Gwen or Harry kept him pinned and drowning in a river of sorrow.

Peter heaved a sigh and backed away from the sink and to the wall where he slid down and to the ground.

* * *

He closed his eyes and he thought back to the last time he had seen Gwen. Peter focused on her hair that smelled of daisies, her blue eyes, fair skin and beautiful smile. He kept his mind on that moment, and on his dream girl. As Gwen remained in his mind she was soon joined by May Parker, who was smiling as well. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and there was Harry along with Mary Jane next to him.

For a brief moment the corners of his lips turned upwards into something of a smile. He could see them and at the sight he felt something he hadn't felt in a while and that was happiness.

May opened her mouth to say something and he could hear her voice; he could even smell the scent of smoke and fire which completely filled his nostrils.

' _Fire...'_ he started to think before a familiar feeling hit him like a ton of bricks. It started at the base of his skull and traveled along his spine setting his body in a state of hyperawareness. It almost overwhelmed him because it hadn't been used in months, making him forget how powerful it could be.

* * *

Peter's eyes snapped opened and widened in terror as the restroom around him was erupting in flames. A trail of flames traveled towards him and on instinct he jumped up and towards the door where he bashed it off the hinges.

He landed back in his room that he shared with Gavin but to his horror Gavin was on the ground dead and standing over him was something that resembled an Ultron unit but it was bigger and more menacing. The robot turned his glowing red eyes and flaming head to him.

"Human." Came its monotone robotic voice.

* * *

Ultron fired at him, however Peter dodged it, barely; his reaction was a bit slow, months of inactivity showing. Ultron readied itself to fire again when a blue repulsor beam burst through the wall and smacked into it.

Iron Man came flying through the roof, bashing into the robot sending them both to the ground rolling.

Peter watched the two of them struggle for dominance until his spider-sense blared with an intensity that was almost debilitating. The danger revealed itself when five giant fingers emerged through the walls of the treatment facility and easily ripped the entire roof off exposing them all to the cold night air. Galactus peered down into the interior, his eyes finding him.

" **MORTAL!** " Galactus roared in anger, " **WE ARE NOT DONE! YOU'VE ONLY STRENTHEGEN MY RESOLVE TO FEAST UPON THIS PLANET!** "

* * *

Peter looked passed the irate Galactus for a moment to see the skies above were dark and glowing orange with what could only be fire and brimstone. Along with the fire were hundreds if not thousands of Ultron units flying all around, shooting beams from their hands destroying everything in sight.

In the distance he could a faint chant that was becoming louder and louder by the second.

"EN SABAH NUR! EN SABAH NUR! EN SABAH NUR! EN SABAH NUR!"

 **THUD!** Came a loud sound from behind him.

* * *

Peter was about to turn around he two hands emerged from the wall and grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him through the plaster and into the hallway on the other side. Peter came to a stop and his eyes widen as Venom stood a few feet away from him.

" **PARKER, WE'RE BACK!** " the alien menace roared at the top of his lungs. Venom's tongue hung out of his mouth and salivated with anticipation. He was about to lunge for his prey when a red alien tentacle suddenly emerged through Venom's chest and wrapped around him tightly.

" **No No Pops, he's mine.** " Came a distorted yet evil voice that was filled with absolute glee " **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** "

Venom was yanked away and down the darkened hallway where the sounds of fighting could be heard. Peter sat up looking in the direction Venom disappeared waiting for him to return however from the blackness eight red eyes formed and stared back at him.

"Spider-Man." Came the animalistic voice.

* * *

The creature with the eight eyes seemed familiar to him especially the voice. It sounded foreign yet he could hear his own voice.

"SPIDER-MAN!" the creature roared as the blackness around it formed into millions of tiny spiders that scurried towards him. Peter turned and ran away from the millions of crawling spiders that chased after him.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" the animalistic voice echoed.

* * *

Peter turned the corner and his spider-sense came to life as Galactus' hand came down cutting off his exit.

 **BAM!** Came the sound of a metal tentacle emerging from the ground in front of him and obscuring his vision of Galactus.

 **BAM! BAM! BAM!** Came the sound of three more metal tentacles emerging from the ground and surrounding him.

"SPIDER-MAN!" Doctor Octopus shouted before the tentacles latched onto the ground and yanked if from under him and sent him plunging into a pit.

* * *

Peter felt the weightlessness for a minute before hitting a soft fleshy surface. He was now outside and it gave him a better view of the fire and brimstone that rained down from the heavens and onto the burning and destroyed City of New York. The teen gasped as he looked at the fires that raged on in every single direction along with the Ultron units high in the sky, Galactus standing tall, as well as Skrull spacecrafts that loomed in the distance.

"My God." He whispered.

A hand found its way to his shoulder and gripped him tightly. From his spot on the ground he turned to see that he was laying on was a mound of dead and bleeding bodies of familiar looking faces. He spotted Warbird, Captain America, Jewel, Luke Cage, Iron fist as well as Beast, and Kitty Pryde and the rest of the X-Men but his main focus was on the hand which belonged to a bloody and battle worn Daredevil. The Man without fear had a pained look on his face as well as a gaping wound in the side of his abdomen.

"Matt!" he exclaimed.

"P-Pete...W-Where were you?"

"SPIDER-MAN!" a voice he didn't recognize shouted from all around.

Peter closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'M NOT SPIDER-MAN ANYMORE!"

"EXACTLY!"

Peter opened his eyes to see that Matt wasn't looking up at him but it was himself dressed as Spider-Man. He gasped as he saw the flesh and bones and blood that was hanging off of the Spider-Man in front of him. The masked apparition looked like a zombie from out of a Hollywood horror movie. It grabbed him by the front of his gray shirt and pulled him close.

"We weren't here to stop this. We gave up. You gave up, you let him win. YOU KILLED US ALL! YOU KILLED ME!" Came the zombie's growl.

* * *

Peter jerked away from the creature and tried to scoot away only to bump into something solid which was followed by a large shadow. He looked up to see the Green Goblin who was a hundred feet tall standing behind him. The Green Goblin cackled while reaching down and grabbing him in-between his fingers, and bringing him up to eye level, his yellow eyes boring into Peter's soul.

" **I told you I would win boy. I always win, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** "

"NO!" Peter shouted as the Green Goblin brought him forward and swallowed him whole. He closed his eyes as he fell.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Peter shouted as the world around him came into focus again. He was laying on the floor of the bathroom. He heaved several deep breaths as he desperately tried to gather his bearings.

"What the hell was that?" he whispered.

" _Only_ a _small glimpse of the things to come if you refuse to act Spider-Man_." Came a feminine voice in his mind.

Peter looked all around, searching for the voice.

"Who…"

" _I mean no harm to you Spider-Man_."

"I'm not Spider-Man." He said in a low voice, making sure his voice couldn't be heard through the door.

" _Not now perhaps, but once you were and you need to be that man again because your presence is needed_."

"Who are you?"

" _My name will be revealed in time but for now I am your guardian as you are mine._ " She said.

"What?" Peter replied.

" _I have given you but a small glimpse of the things to come. All equally terrible and all have one constant, which is your absence. If you wish to know how to save your friends then you must do something for me._ "

"Which is what?" Peter asked.

" _Follow the spiders_."

"And if I refuse?"

" _Then prepare yourself for the destruction of our world."_

"Follow the spiders? Do I look like Harry Potter or his ginger haired friend?"

The voice did not answer him and the connection between them was severed however in the wake of the voice leaving him he suddenly felt the connection to the spider in the corner grow ten fold. He could sense the creature's eyes on him, he could feel it crawling in the web and he even knew the web pattern the spider was making. He turned to the arachnid just as it disappeared in a puff of red mist.

* * *

Peter blinked a few times before laying his head down on the cold floor.

"Note to self, never, never eat stale animal crackers before bed. There should be a warning on the label, may cause hallucinations or weird voices in your head if eaten past expiration date. Seriously though who was that and what the heck does she mean by the destruction of our world, and why did my spider-sense go off if there was no danger? Did she trigger it? Great, just what I need, a mystery."

* * *

 **TriBeca- Hardy Penthouse**

Felicia grunted as she placed another ice pack on her aching shoulder, another on her aching knee and one last ice pack on her possibly sprained ankle. The thief let out a long sigh of content as she reclined into the custom designed and very very expensive couch. The beautiful teen held up her hands and scowled. She had ruined four of her manicured nails in her scuffle with the sandman earlier.

"I am a mess." She said to herself "And this is why I don't help people. I get my ass kicked and I get absolutely nothing in return. Pfft. How does he…how did he do it, it makes no sense to me."

She painfully shifted from her spot and she reached for the gold medallion on the table next to her. She looked at the medallion and the symbol that was inside. It looked similar to the symbol that the Prowler wore on his costume but it was different. Felicia turned it over and that's when she spotted the inscription on the back.

" _To my brother, whom I will always trust and protect no matter what. With Love, Jeff._ " She read, "How sweet."

* * *

Felicia scoffed and tossed the medallion back onto the table, while replaying the events of the day in her mind. She couldn't understand why that officer stood there and tried to fight the Sandman knowing he would lose.

' _That doesn't make sense either. He had no powers, he had nothing special about him and he just threw his life away and for what. A thank you that will never come, was it some misguided thought of bravery or or…ah who gives a crap. I need a distraction.'_

 **BRINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGG!** Came the sound of Felicia's phone. Felicia grabbed her phone and answered the call knowing it could only be one of about four people.

"What?"

" _You still got the medallion_?" came the voice of Arthur Bremmer " _What am I saying of course you still got it, no one would lift it off of your hands_."

"Because all of you are cowards, now can you get to the point of why you're calling Arthur, I've got better things to do believe it or not." Felicia curtly responded.

" _I found someone willing to fence the medallion off of your hands. He's a real sleaze ball but he's legit."_

"Name and address."

" _Blackie Gaxton, Brooklyn._ "

Felicia let out a groan as she realized that she once again had to go across the bridge and into Brooklyn but she wanted to get rid of the medallion and this was the only way.

"Fine, set it up."

* * *

 **A few minutes later- Brooklyn**

"Good, I'll be here waiting for her, thanks Bremmer."

 **CLICK!** Went the sound of the line going dead.

* * *

A beaten and bruised Blackie Gaxton slowly hung up the phone and stared up at his tormentor, the Prowler. He heaved a few heavy sighs and wiped some of the blood from his busted lips.

"I-I-I set it up, she'll be here."

"Good." The Prowler returned in a dangerously low tone.

"I did what you asked, now leave me alone."

"No, you and I still have a lot to talk about."

"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Gaxton yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You know about the Kingpin war. I want you to tell me everything you know, all the players and the stakes. And Gaxton if you lie to me I will stab you in both kneecaps."

Gaxton quickly wiped a tear away as the Prowler stepped a little closer.

"TALK!"

* * *

 **Lower-East Side**

Flash Thompson, dressed in his spider-man gear smacked the Hawk's thug in the face with a perfect right cross. He felt the man's jaw crack and the sound and feel brought some semblance of joy to him. A much needed cathartic release from the pent up rage that gripped him tightly.

Flash turned to the left and used his forearms to block the punch from the second Hawk thug he was fighting. He had managed to knock one out but the other two were putting up a harder fight which suited him just fine.

As every punch or kick that came he did his best to block, a few got through but the Kevlar he wore absorbed some of the hits. He thought back to the last time he was on patrol with his friends he had lost his cool. He hadn't meant for it to happen but once it did he knew that he would have to explain which is why he had been avoiding them and was out on his own patrolling the streets.

He had spotted the three Hawks trying to force one of the neighborhood bodegas to pay a protection fee. He had already called the cops before rushing in but they still hadn't arrived yet.

* * *

Flash felt a fist strike him in the jaw making some blood fly through his lips and making him stumble. The Hawk he knocked down got to his feet and grabbed him from behind holding him tightly while the other two punched and punched him in the stomach. The tough teen felt the blows but while he felt them he could shake the look of terror in the eyes of his friend who he had no doubt were worried about him; out of all his new allies Kong was the only one who knew the truth, the why he was willing to risk his life for something other than himself.

 _'I can't tell the rest of them yet._ ' He thought to himself as he kicked one of the Hawks in the groin and then elbowed the one that was holding him.

Flash spit out some blood as the third Hawk brandished a knife and inched towards him. The Hawk swiped his knife across the middle and managed to knick Flash on the forearm a little. He gasped in pain but kept moving so he wouldn't get stabbed completely. Flash bumped into a recycling trash bin. He grabbed the lid and swung it, smacking the knife away from the Hawk thug.

"COME ON!" Flash goaded.

* * *

 **POW! POW!** Came the sound of two gunshots in the air. Flash and the Hawk he was fighting turned to see one of his friends on the ground with gun in his hand.

"Enough of this fighting bullsh**!" he exclaimed with blood falling from his lips "Time to die."

* * *

Flash gasped but a yellow and orange clad figure fell from the sky and landed on top of the thug, sending his gun skidding a few feet away.

"You boys having a party without me, I'm so hurt." Said Hellcat as she jumped towards the final Hawk thug. She kicked him in the head and sent him to the ground unconscious.

Hellcat looked around before letting her eyes look towards Flash and his gear.

"I had him you know." He said while wiping his bloody lips.

"I bet." She replied "Who the heck are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Spider-Man."

"Really?" Hellcat responded in a disbelieving tone "You're Spider-Man and you let these clowns get the best of you. You must be really off your game."

* * *

Flash smirked.

"Well luckily a pretty lady in orange and yellow had my back."

Hellcat pursed her lips together and then smiled, until she heard the sounds of police sirens in the distance.

"Time to go." She said before starting to run away.

"Hold up!" Flash called out.

* * *

He rushed towards the entrance of the bodega and he looked at the owners; a young couple that was huddled together with their daughter.

"You guys are safe now. When the police get here, tell them that Spider-Man was here."

The man nodded his head.

"Thank you."

Flash smiled and then he was gone.

* * *

He ran down the street and caught up to Hellcat who had been waiting for him.

"You're not Spider-Man." She said "I've seen Spider-Man out of costume before and you're not him."

"You've seen him without his mask?"

"Yes and no. He had a hoodie so I couldn't really make out his face but I know it was him. He saved my life and the lives of some of my friends."

"Look lady I know I'm not Spider-Man, but the criminals in the area don't know that. If they know Spider-Man is back then maybe they'll back off mom and pops back there and they can live normal lives without the fear of getting jumped."

"So you just go around calling yourself Spider-Man and saying Spider-Man was here."

"Pretty much." Flash replied as they both turned a corner and into an alley, "Me and a few of my friends. Also we're big fans of your work here on the lower East-side."

"Thanks. I do what I can when I can." She said "I have to know though where did this idea come from?" Hellcat asked.

"I was watching Spartacus, believe it or not. I got to the end where all those guys stand up and say I'm Spartacus. Then boom here I am."

* * *

Hellcat snorted as she began to laugh. The orange and yellow clad vigilante sprung up onto a dumpster and then jumped towards a firescape ladder and began to climb up. Flash came to a stop to catch his breath.

Hellcat looked over the railing and shook her head.

"It was nice meeting you _Spidey_ , but this is where we part ways. I dig the name and the idea but you need to be a bit more careful. Spider-Man has a lot of enemies and if they get wind that he's back….they'll come looking."

"I'll keep that in mind good looking." He said back to her.

Hellcat kissed her hand and then blew it towards him.

"Until next time." She said before continuing upward.

* * *

Flash watched her go and then disappear over the edge of the roof-top above. He let out a low whistle.

"Man, she is something. Kong and Randy are gonna be so jealous I got to talk to her first. I wonder what they're doing right now?"

* * *

 **Greenwhich Village**

"BOO-YAA!" Kong yelled as he jumped off the fence and into the circle of thugs that had Randy surrounded. Kong barreled into one of the thugs backs and knocked him right into Sally's path. She reared her bat back and smacked him in the head sending him straight to the ground.

"HOMERUN!" Jason yelled from behind her as he shoved the butt end of his hockey stick into a thug's stomach. He then brought the stick up and smacked him in the jaw.

Jason then took out Randy's camera and he then began to film Sally, Kong and Randy beat up the thugs.

* * *

He felt a sense of pride wash over him. Jason knew that he was doing something that was good and just and it made him a sense of self-worth. He loved being out at night patrolling, he loved that he had a girlfriend who loved to do it with him. He also loved that the internet cheered him and his friends on. It was a strange feeling and he had been trying to place what it was that he was feeling and he finally knew what it was and what he loved the most about being Spider-Man, it was the rush. The adrenaline that fueled his body right now. He never felt so alive in his life and he never wanted it to end. He was addicted.

"GIVE'EM ONE IN THE CROTCH BABE!" he yelled.

Sally kicked the thug in front of her in the groin making him double over, giving her the perfect opportunity to ram her knee it his nose breaking it.

Jason laughed as he turned the camera to his face.

"You see that New York City, we're cleaning up the scum one neighborhood at a time. If you got a problem, we've got the solution because WE ARE SPIDER-MAN! So all you villains beware!"

* * *

 **Elsewhere: Ravencroft**

' _Follow the spiders. Who the heck is this lady and why is she choosing now to come to me. I wonder is she a mutant psychic or is she a science run amok psychic type of thing, knowing my luck it's a combination of both. So she knows who I….was, and so the questions is what am I going to do about it. It's not like I can tell anyone, then they'll really think I'm crazy instead of just, in mourning.'_ Peter thought to himself while lying on his bed and staring at the tiny dots on the ceiling.

The encounter with the mysterious voice had rattled him somewhat mostly because he hadn't experienced anything out of the ordinary in eleven months. He had been enjoying the solitude but in one fell swoop the solitude had been shattered.

* * *

In his head the conversation was replaying over and over all the while trying his best to get some detail as whom or what was trying to contact him. He mulled it over for a few more moments until a brief thought occurred to him.

' _Am I going crazy? Is this how insanity starts, with a mysterious voice that appears in my head that happens to sound like Helen Mirren? I do have the Oz in my blood but it's mixed with spider-venom so it's not a pure concentrate. I wonder does that matter though. I haven't exactly studied the full extent of just how much that spider changed my DNA but, no, no I'm not going crazy or insane. I think it's, hold on what am I doing. A voice pops up and already I can feel him coming back. I can feel Spider-Man lurking in the back of my mind but he's gone, and he's never coming back. This voice or crazy whatever it is is trying to force me to do something that I don't want to do, force me to play a game I've taken myself out of. I'm not Spider-Man, so I'm not going to do anything other than lay right here and…what the hell?'_

From one of the hundreds of tiny holes in the tile ceiling above him a small red and black spider crawled out. Peter watched the spider for a moment until from the hole next to the spider out came another red and black spider.

The teen slowly sat up in his bed as spider after spider crawled out of the tiny black holes above. The red and black spiders crawled along the ceiling for a moment before gathering together and when they joined the red coloring on their bodies formed an arrow that pointed towards the door.

Peter stared at the arrow intently before looking towards Gavin who still had his nose buried in his Game of Thrones book.

"Hey!" Peter called.

* * *

Gavin looked up from his book with a look of shock on his face.

"Oh my God, you can actually talk?" he said, "Wow, I guess I owe Charlie ten bucks. I thought you were some mental defective and I bet him that the first thing you would say if you could talk would be Hodor. I guess I was wrong." He finished off-handedly.

Peter narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me Darkman, if you're quite finished, I need you to look at the ceiling and tell me what you see."

* * *

Gavin stuck his burned middle finger up at Peter while looking towards the ceiling. He stared up for only a moment before looking back to his Game of thrones book and kept reading.

"Well?" Peter asked, "What do you see?"

"I see a bunch of creepy ass spiders on the ceiling, pointing an arrow towards the door."

Peter recoiled a bit.

"And that doesn't shock you at all?"

"Not really. I was in school about a year ago and one of the guys in class mutated into a half-man half-bird thing or something, now that sh** was shocking. Also we do live in New York City, a place where a man turns into a giant green Frankenstein, a metal man flies, a man in a purple helmet descends from the heavens and a guy can stick to walls and shoot webs. So very little shocks me anymore, now if you don't mind Hodor. I'm going back to my book."

"Just so you know Frankenstein was the creator, not the monster."

"What?" Gavin replied.

"Nothing, just go back to your book. Oh, spoiler alert, everyone dies."

* * *

Peter grunted as he swung his legs over the bed and walked towards the door. He opened it and stepped out into the darkened hallway.

* * *

 **Hallway**

' _I guess that clinches it. I'm not going crazy which means Ms. Helen Mirren is here to stay in my head."_ He thought while looking at the ceiling. There were more spiders emerging from the tiny holes above and joining together and forming an arrow for him to follow, _' The question is why and for how long, I guess I'll just have to keep following the spiders. Once I get to the source I'm going to end this quickly so I can get back to my solitude.'_

Peter turned the corner and found himself facing the door that led to the roof of the facility. He jingled the lock and to his surprise it was open. The teen ventured inside and up the stairs. The spiders were crawling along the wall next to him; for a moment he stopped and tried to reach out to them. He could feel them in a strange way. The spiders moved out of his reach and continued along their path upward.

* * *

Peter finally reached the top where the door was partially propped open with a brick. He could feel the cool yet strong night breeze filtering through the crack. He gently pushed it open and stepped outside.

Peter expected the spiders to come with him but they didn't however, his attention was quickly drawn away from the eight legged creatures and to the young blonde haired man that was standing on the ledge preparing to jump. The young man turned to his head, revealing the scarred face of **Eddie Brock**.

* * *

Eddie slowly took the dwindling cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it to the roof.

Peter carefully crept up to him Eddie not noticing the spiders behind him disappearing in a puff of red mist.

"E-Eddie." He said slowly.

Eddie blew out the smoke while wiping the dried tears from his eyes.

"We…I was praying to God, that if I truly had a purpose in this life, then he would send us, me, some sort of sign to stop me from…jumping. We were two seconds away and then you show up. I had heard that you were dead Parker. We, I didn't believe it at first but as the months went on I began to, but I should've known you would find me again." Eddie replied in an even tone, "We should've known that the sign would have been you."

"E-Eddie, you need to come down off the ledge." Peter said as he started to approach the unstable young man who began to sway slightly.

Eddie scoffed and then looked towards the ground.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" He shouted which made Peter stop in his tracks. Eddie turned back to him to look him over and he noticed his disheveled appearance as well as the black outfit that was similar to his own. He scrunched his eyes in confusion.

"You're a patient here?" Eddie questioned.

Peter didn't answer and so Eddie lifted one of his feet and hung it over the edge.

"Yes and no." Peter said hurriedly "I'm here but I think. If I wanted to I could walk out of here at any time, but enough about me why are you on the ledge."

"Besides the obvious, well when you _'died'_ I was shocked, angry more than shocked because somebody had taken you away from us. Someone had stolen our chance at revenge for you ruining our life and taking us away from each other, but the anger quickly gave way to depression. I couldn't hurt you anymore because you were dead and if I couldn't hurt you what was the point of living anymore."

"Eddie…." Peter started.

"I tried once before at the other facility but they watch you like a hawk." Eddie interrupted, "So I came up with a plan, make them think I was getting better. I thought they would let me go but they transferred me to this place, a minimal security facility. I guess my plan worked after all because I've been giving these people the run around all day."

* * *

Eddie looked away from Peter and back over the edge. He told himself that it would be so easy to just let go and fall over the edge, it's what he had planned to do but it seems like fate had other plans. The face of his enemy had returned. Peter, Spider-man was alive and well and so it meant that he now had something to live for once more.

"Don't do it Brock." Said Peter from behind him, "I'm sorry that the craziness of my…former life has affected you this way. You don't really want to do this, it's the symbiote which has corrupted your mind, just come back over to this side. There's a doctor here that I think really wants to help you."

"Don't worry Parker I don't plan on killing myself anymore, not that I know that you're still here. You're still here which means that God answered my question. I do have a purpose in this life and it's to kill you." Eddie replied while turning around on the ledge to fully face him.

* * *

Peter suddenly felt it again, the familiar tingling in the base of his skull that set his body into hyper-awareness. A strong gust of cold wind swept over the roof and the force behind it was enough to push the thin Eddie Brock backwards and off the ledge; his eyes widened in terror as he felt himself falling.

The former wall-crawler reacted instantly, relying on instincts and stiff muscles he hadn't used in almost a year.

He jumped and flipped through the air and over the ledge. He grabbed hold of the edge with his left hand and grabbed Eddie's ankle with his right hand abruptly halting his descent.

* * *

Eddie gasped as he looked down at the street below. He heaved several deep breaths, reigning in his fright before turning his attention to Peter who was looked to be struggling to hold him up.

"THIS DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING!" Eddie yelled, "As soon as my other half is back we're still coming after you."

"Yeah. Yeah, keep talking." Peter replied while rolling his eyes and grunting in an attempt to pull them both up however it was proving to be a lot more difficult than he excepted, _'Ergggh….what's wrong with me? Brock doesn't weight that much but it feels like he weighs a ton.'_

Peter's spider-sense started to buzz but he knew where the danger was coming from, he could feel his grip on Brock's ankle slipping.

' _What the hell? STICK! STICK DAMN IT!'_ he yelled his mind but the uncanny ability to cling to any object was beginning to fail him, as was his strength. As the seconds ticked by it felt as if he was growing weaker.

Peter's arm spasm as his grip on the edge of the building began to falter.

* * *

Eddie felt the jostling and the weakening grip on his leg.

"Parker pulls us up!" he yelled.

"I-I'm t-trying!"

"PULL US UP NOWWW!"

Eddie's heart began to race when he felt himself slipping out of Peter's grasp. For a moment he thought Peter was going to kill him but he knew that wasn't the case, something was wrong with him. The blonde teen reared his head back and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"HELLLLLLLLLLLLP! SOMEONE! HELLLLLLLLP!"

* * *

 **CLANNNNNNNNNG!** Came the sound of the door above being kicked open after a few tense seconds. Peter heard someone running across the roof and when he looked up he saw the worried face of Dr. Ashley Kafka and two orderlies.

"OH MY GOD HOLD ON!" she screamed while they reached for them.

When she reached for them, in that brief moment he spotted what looked like a small spider-man tattoo on the underside of her forearm. It was red, with big white reflective eyes.

* * *

 **Few Seconds later**

"YOU WANTED TO SMOKE!?" Dr. Kafka questioned incredulously.

Eddie nodded his head and glanced in Peter's direction before turning back to his assigned therapist.

"Yes, I just wanted a smoke, so I went to the roof. I was sitting on the edge when a strong wind came by and pushed me off. Luckily, my…friend Peter here saved me."

Dr. Kafka recoiled at the remark because from what she read about Eddie on his file was that he didn't have any friends or much family.

"Wow, this is quite shocking, Mr. Parker is this true?" she asked while turning to him, ' _I wonder will he say something.'_

* * *

 _'Well done Mr. Parker. It seems there's still a bit of Spider-Man left in you after-all.'_

 _'Who are you?'_

 _'It will be revealed in time.'_

* * *

"Mr. Parker?"

Peter took his attention away from his hands. He could feel his strength returning as well as his ability to cling to objects. He looked at Dr. Kafka and then to Eddie where he could see the hate but also the desperation. He knew that if he told Dr. Kafka the truth he would probably be sent back to the intensive care unit across town, which judging by the look on his face was a fate worse than death. He heaved a sigh and shook his head.

"Yes, it's true."

Dr. Kafka let a large smile grace her lips because for the first time in any of their meetings Peter Parker had spoken to her. She looked between the two of them and an idea of having group sessions with the both of them together came to the forefront of her mind and stayed there.

"I'm glad that you were here to help him Mr. Parker, loosing Mr. Brock would've been a terrible tragedy."

"Really?" Eddie questioned, looking at her with wide eyes.

"Of course. All life should be cherished Mr. Brock. It's one of the reasons why I do this, to help get people to realize that life, no matter what the tragedy that has befallen us, life is still worth living. And I promise that whatever has happened to the two of you I will find a way to help you. I'm thrilled that the two of you are friends because I think you two could benefit a lot from each other, which is why I'm going to make a recommendation that the two of you have sessions together."

Eddie both forced a smile onto his lips, while Peter rolled his eyes.

"Great." They said at the same time.

* * *

Eddie started for the door.

"Follow me." Said Dr. Kafka while looking at Peter.

* * *

' _Follow the spiders.'_ Peter thought to himself; her spider tattoo "Dr. Kafka." Peter called out.

"Yes?"

"I noticed you have a spider tattoo on your arm. Is that a recent thing?"

"Oh, no, it's a little reminder." She said with a smile.

"Of what?" he asked.

"I'll tell you if you promise me something."

"What?" Peter asked.

"That'll you'll talk to me. I want to help you but you have to talk to me."

* * *

Peter hesitated for a moment before nodding his head. She smiled.

"Well, a couple of years ago I was in a bad way and I was thinking of doing something terrible when all of a sudden these zombie Vikings started attacking the city. I would've been a goner if Spider-Man hadn't saved my life. After that I got a new lease on life and I got this tattoo as a little reminder of that day. The way my life could've turned out but didn't. I was meant for something, we're all meant for something we just have to find out what it is, now come along."

Dr. Kafka walked towards the door, leaving Peter standing there by himself for a moment.

' _Follow the spiders. I think someone is definitely playing a game with me. And something tells me that it doesn't matter if I want to play or not.'_ He thought as he moved towards the door, following behind her.

* * *

 **Elsewhere: Madame Webb's place**

Madame Webb leaned back into her throne of moving spiders and released a heavy sigh. She had been a little worried when Peter did not respond to her brief reveal of possible future events but was relieved when followed the first spider to his ultimate destiny.

"I'm pleased that he has not completely lost himself." She said, "However the web of fate is still in flux and not for the better and the battle for our very existence is here. I know your grief is great Mr. Parker but the time for mourning is over, like the phoenix arising from the ashes, so too must the Amazing Spider-Man rise and be reborn. You're wrong though, it does matter if you want to play or not however I'm hoping you will, because the pieces have been set and the game has officially begun. The first enemy has made himself known and you must be ready to face him."

Madame Webb waved her hand and a tarot card appeared before her. She grabbed it out of the air and looked at it. She saw Spider-Man facing a giant wave of water.

* * *

 **Alphabet City**

Isaac Lawson, dressed in black boots, a black Kevlar vest with a red spider painted in the front, brass knuckles, and a helmet over his face that was painted to look like Spider-Man's mask, stepped to a man in a trenchcoat that was harassing a scantily clad woman on the street corner.

"Hey!" Isaac called out, "Leave her alone."

The man in the trenchcoat turned around revealing the face of Morris Bench, aka Hydro-Man. He saw the spider painted on Isaac's chest and a smile appeared on his face.

"Finally." He said as he pushed the woman to the ground and turned to face his approaching enemy, "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm, the Spider-Watcher." he replied strongly while looking past him, "Shannon, get up and get out of here quick. I told you, that you needed to stop doing this line of work, and I that I can't keep saving you all the time."

"A girl's gotta eat." she said.

"Just go."

"No, No Shannon, don't leave just yet. You and I aren't done, I'll just be a moment." Hydro-Man replied over his shoulders as he removed his trenchcoat, "So, Spider-Watcher. I can assume that you're...dressed like that because you like Spider-Man. I like him too. Do you happen to know where he is, because I know he ain't dead."

"Clear out." Spider-Watcher said in a commanding tone.

"Make me." Hrydo-Man returned.

* * *

Spider-Watcher smirked under his helmet/mask and started forward; once he reached Hydro-Man he took a swing. The brass kncukled fist hit its target right on the the chin but to his horror it got stuck. He tried to pull away but he couldn't. Hydro-Man grabbed him by the throat and then quickly turned his body to water and then expanded and engulfed the Spider-Watcher completely.

Hydro-Man with the helpless Spider-Watcher floating around inside turned to Shannon and smiled at her with a devious grin.

"Do you want to see something cool?" he asked dangerously while making his watery body form thousands of water spikes all aimed at the trapped vigilante that was stuck inside of him. He tensed his body and sent the spikes flying inward.

Shannon blinked and a shower of blood splattered all over her. She shakily looked at her bloody hands and body before letting out a blood curdling scream that echoed in the night.

* * *

 **End Chapter:** **READ AND REVIEW: Hey readers it's me Nomad88 coming at'cha with the closing comments. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I know that it's kinda short but hopefully all of you got a little insight into Peter's psyche at the moment. He's a bit down and out at the moment but something or perhaps someone is about to bring him back from the brink.**

 **How many people were expecting Eddie Brock in this chapter? They'll have a few more interactions with each other and I'm gonna dive more into what he's feeling right now too.**

 **Anyway, like I said it's short and that's only because the next chapter is kinda long with a lot of moving pieces that I want to get too. Again I hope you all enjoyed the chapter let me know what you think and I'll meet you wonderful people back here for the next chapter. This is Nomad88 saying later…..**

 **Next up: Kingpin War part 1: We Three Kings**

* * *

 **Summary: Wilson Fisk, The Owl, and Mr. Negative meet to discuss a cease fire however Chaos ensues. Plus Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist join the fray. Black Cat has a run in with the Prowler. And Peter receives a warning from his mysterious guardian to the potential fate of his friends, but will he act or will he continue to be removed from the game.  
**


	4. Kingpin War part one: We Three Kings

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with another chapter. I hope everyone is ready. I think this is the first explosive and action packed chapter of this volume. So far I've been setting up a few things and now it's a powder keg ready to blow, LOL! I'm gonna stop talking and get to the chapter but before I go please remember to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Kingpin War part 1: We Three Kings**

 **Next Day- Time Square Jumbotron**

" _Good Evening New York City, I'm Michelle Burns bringing you up to the minute news and our top story this evening, Spider-Man, or rather his successor of sorts, the Spider-Watcher of Alphabet City. The Spider-Watcher, now identified as Isaac Lawson, a twenty-nine year old structural engineer student was murdered yesterday night in an attempt to stop the assault of this woman, Shannon Kzolki. The spider themed vigilante was murdered by an unknown assailant however in our brief interview with Ms. Kzolki, the witness to the murder said that the assailant called himself, Hydro-Man."_

* * *

 **Brooklyn- Butcher shop**

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT LOW PROFILE MEANS!? WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" The Owl roared at the top of his lungs while he put the television on mute.

Hydro-Man put a bored expression on his face as he leaned back his seat.

"I was thinking of ripping Spider-Man a new asshole that's what I was thinking, but it wasn't him, just some cheap knock-off." Hydro-Man replied, "I hate cheap knock-offs."

The Owl threw his remote against the wall and stormed up to Hydro-Man.

"Newsflash, the bug is dead! It's about time you get that through your skull."

"He ain't dead, he can't be."

"No one has seen him in a year and from what I've heard about him he's not one to just ignore the crap that's been going on."

"If he's dead then where's the body! I need to see the body so I can smash it to pieces." Hydro-Man growled, "That bastard hurt me and because of him I'll never know where Tabby is or Lana. I wanna kill that blue haired bitch for destroying my relationship but they're in the wind."

The Owl let out a frustrated growl.

"Will you get over that jailbait, you pathetic wimp. You have been terrorizing women across eastern seaboard as well as the five boroughs and you still can't get over this one girl."

"Because she actually understood me." Said Hydro-Man as his thoughts turned to Tabitha, "Not to mention no one screamed like her either. It was all good until Lana ruined it and before I could get back at her Spider-Man showed up mocking me with his jokes, making me look like a fool. I bet he knows where they are, but the only way to know for sure is to find him and put him in a stranglehold and then into a watery grave."

"SHUT UP!" The Owl yelled, "I didn't give you your abilities to chase after a girl or Spider-Man. I gave them to you so you could destroy my enemies. So far you've had the training wheels on but tonight they come off, tonight is the night I've been dreaming about for years. So do not screw this up with stupid notions of revenge."

"So my revenge is stupid and yours isn't!" Hydro-Man challenged while shooting up from his seat. He stood over the Owl and for a brief moment his hands turned to water and the Owl took a small step back. He could see the facial twitches emerging on Hydro-Man's face.

* * *

The Owl knew that his enforcer of sorts was beginning to become more and more mentally unstable with each day that passed. It was a known possible side effect to the treatment that had given him his abilities. He was warned multiple times by the man that had done the procedure that it could happen and when it did he needed to be ready.

The Owl considered the small vile of blue liquid that he kept hidden in his chest pocket but the moment the thought came to his mind it was quickly thrown out.

' _I need him.'_ The Owl thought to himself _'I need him just a little bit longer and once he's done then I'll use the antidote. I have to calm him down.'_

* * *

The Owl carefully put his hands on Hydro-Man's shoulders.

"That is not what I'm saying to you at all. Morris, do you remember when I found you and I gave you hope by giving you your powers and then delivering your rat bastard of a father to you on a silver platter."

"What about it?" Hydro-Man snapped.

"Do you remember the satisfaction you had when you looked into his eyes as you killed him as you made him hurt for all the abuse that he inflicted upon you?"

"Every damn day."

"That's all that I want." The Owl replied sincerely "I helped you get your revenge and now mine is so close to being fulfilled. It's right there and I don't want anything to jeopardize that. I can't tell you how long I've waited and on the eve of my revenge you go and get your name mentioned in the news. I think this is worse that that little fiasco in Brooklyn a year ago."

"Relax no one knows what I look like."

"Fisk might. He has spies everywhere and the last thing I want is for him to see you coming."

"He won't Owlsley. He won't, none of them will. I promise you that I will kill these bastards and help you get back on top, but once that's over."

"Spider-Man and those girls are all yours to do whatever it is you please to them. Once I'm in control you'll have the ability to do anything you want."

"I can do that now." Hydro-Man said arrogantly.

"Except there are a lot of eyes that are going to be looking for Hydro-Man now, when I'm in charge, I'll make it illegal for anyone to speak your name."

* * *

Hydro-Man gently moved the Owl's hands off of him and slowly sat back down in his seat.

"Fine. I'm sorry I lost my temper."

The Owl looked at his watch and then back to the television.

"We got a few hours before it's time for the meet. I want you to gather the troops together and get them ready."

"Don't worry about it Owl, tonight everything will go according to plan, and there is no one who is gonna stand in our way."

* * *

 **Ravencroft**

"My name is Peter Parker."

Peter looked at the eyes that were staring at him eagerly waiting for him to continue however only two sets of eyes were his main focus. One pair belonged to his counselor Dr. Ashley Kafka and the other set belonged to Eddie Brock, once known as the villain Venom.

He really didn't want to be standing up front and talking but he made a deal with Dr. Kafka that if she told him the origin of her spider-man tattoo that he would talk to her, but he didn't know that she would put him in front of the group.

* * *

Peter hung his head and shifted in his spot before beginning again.

"I'm here because I…because I lost people. I lost three people close to me and I see them in my dreams sometimes. I see their faces every time I close my eyes or even have a moment's peace to myself. It's like a never ending nightmare; their faces frozen in fear or them calling out to me asking for….."

"Asking what Peter?" Dr. Kafka urged.

Peter closed his eyes for a brief moment and in that second he saw his Aunt, Gwen and Harry standing in front of him.

* * *

"HELP!" They shouted at the same.

* * *

Peter shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't make it out." He said, "All I know is that it's…because of me that they're gone. It's always because of me."

"Do you feel guilty because of these losses?" Dr. Kafka probed.

"…..yes." he answered after a long second.

"Why?"

"It just told you it's my fault that they're gone."

"Are you're saying that you're physically responsible for these losses."

"No, not physically but it might as well have been my fault, just by them knowing me or being around me. I just feel so guilty, this overwhelming feeling of guilt. I'm the one that shouldn't' be here right now. They should be alive."

Dr. Kafka wrote a few notes down onto her pad.

"You've touched on a very interesting subject Peter. Guilt is a powerful feeling. It is an emotion that I believe is designed to keep us on an even keel so to speak. We feel guilty when we fail to do what we believe to be the right thing. We all feel it, each and everyone one of us is some capacity. I know for me if I stole something I would feel guilty, or if I failed to live up to my responsibilities to my patients. Guilt is not necessarily a bad thing but when we let it rule us, it can be a hindrance. It can pin us to the ground and keep us there for as long as we let it. If we can't find a way to accept our grief and face this guilt it can ruin us, it can ruin you Peter."

"H-How do I face it?" he asked.

"With time and help." She replied with a small smile, "I think that is enough for today, thank you for sharing Peter."

* * *

Peter nodded his head and he slowly sat back down in his seat. Dr. Kafka moved on to the next person but Peter was only half listening. He thought about Dr. Kafka's words and the words that left his mouth. He had not intended on sharing so much but the moment he started talking everything began to flow out and he had to admit to himself that he felt…..a little bit better.

Peter released a long sigh but he felt a set of eyes on him and he turned to his right to see to Eddie with a slight scowl on his face.

"What?" Peter whispered.

"If only my other half were here to see the Amazing Spider-man…defeated" He whispered to him, "We would be squealing with joy."

"There is no other you Brock." Peter returned, "The symbiote is a cancer. A cancer that has corrupted your mind."

"Don't say that." Brock said in a strong but hushed voice.

"It's true. You should be happy that Dr. Kafka wants to help you."

* * *

Eddie looked away from Peter and to Dr. Kafka who was enthralled by another story from someone in the group. He didn't care about the story; his attention was solely on her. It had been a long time since he had seen someone like her, since he had seen the smiling face of someone that truly wanted to help to him. He remembered her statement from the night before about how it would be a tragedy if he had fallen from the roof. At first he thought she was just talking but he asked her again before being escorted back to his room and she had assured him that she was being genuine with him. He believed her.

Eddie continued to look at Dr. Kafka and the more he did that he found himself admiring some of her features.

" _We think she's….I think she's pretty.'_ He thought to himself.

Eddie felt another foreign feeling creeping up on him. As the seconds passed and he continued to stare at Dr. Kafka he found that the corners of his began to turn upwards, however as the moment came it passed as his eyes fixated on something behind her. A man with red hair that was confined to a wheelchair was rolled into the commons room and parked near the window.

A cold hand of fear gripped his spine as recognition washed over him. The fear gave way to anger and Eddie suddenly shot up from his seat knocking his chair over to the ground.

"No. No. No. NO!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Peter and everyone else stared at Eddie, however when he received a small nudge from his spider-sense, he slowly turned around and his eyes widened in shock as he spotted a man with red hair in a wheelchair.

Eddie knew the face of his tormentor and he would never forget the horrors inflicted upon him. Peter gritted his teeth as the name of the man left their mouths at the same time.

"Kasady."

* * *

Dr. Kafka saw the change in Eddie's demeanor and just as she rose from her seat to calm him he charged forward like a man possessed.

"YOU BASTARD!"

"EDDIE!" Peter and Dr. Kafka shouted.

* * *

 **Few feet away**

The severely crippled Cletus Kasady heard the yell and turning his deranged eyes to Eddie's direction he smiled.

Eddie tackled Cletus knocking him out of his wheelchair and to the ground with his hands around his throat.

Cletus managed to chuckle in response.

"O-Oh darling, I'm surprised to see you here…and I see you remember how I like it." He gagged out.

Eddie's mind flashed through all of the horrors and torment Kasady inflicted upon him in an attempt to find out Spider-Man's true identity. He remembered how the longer he held out the more perverse pain he dispensed. He was going to kill him but an arm snaked around him.

Peter pried him off of Kasady.

"Let him go Brock."

"LET ME GO! I'll KILL HIM!"

* * *

Dozens of orderlies flocked into the commons room and they grabbed Eddie from Pete's hands and pinned him to the ground. All the while they held him he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Dr. Kafka took out syringe and a vial of clear liquid which was a sedative. She filled the syringe and as quickly as she could she injected him with sedative.

Everyone let out a collective sigh as he began to calm down.

"Take him to his room, I'll deal with him in a moment." Said Dr. Kafka.

* * *

Peter watched as the orderlies dragged Brock off to his room. A grunt that almost sounded like a laugh caught his attention so he turned to Kasady to see him sitting up as best his crippled body would allow. He remembered the last time he saw the deranged red haired villain and just how he ended up in his current condition. Peter was surprised to see him but his disgust for Kasady had not left. Kasady looked at him and narrowed his eyes.

"Have we met before?" Kasady asked.

"I think you would remember if we did." He said.

Dr. Kafka rushed into view and began to help back into his wheelchair. Peter turned and walked away from him with a sense of dread shadowing over him with each step he took.

* * *

 **Hallway**

Peter quickly made his way down the hallway, making a line straight to the room that he shared with Gavin.

' _First a really freaky dream, then a voice in my head, next Brock shows up and not long after Kasady. If I was anyone else but me I'd say it was a coincidence but it can't be.'_ He thought to himself as he reached his room.

* * *

Peter entered the room and immediately began to fall into pitch black open space. He managed to get a look at his door as he was falling and disappeared into a puff of red mist. The pull of gravity intensified and he fell faster through the black space around him.

* * *

Peter's spider-sense came to life and so he rolled forward and deftly landed on seemingly solid ground. It felt cool to the touch however he noticed that the ground was not as solid as he believed it to be. He could feel it moving and shifting a little under his weight. A tiny spider moved from the ground and onto his bare foot and the creature was soon followed by a dozen more. It only took him a moment to realize he was standing on a ground made of spiders.

"I'm positive that this isn't a coincidence."

" _You are correct Mr. Parker, it's not a coincidence that two of your worst enemies are within arms reach of each other. I believe that there is an old saying to keep your friends close but your enemies closer_."

Peter let out a sigh.

"Helen Mirren, you're back so soon and you're quoting Michael Corleone, lovely." He said.

The voice chuckled a little.

"Seriously, who are you?"

" _A question you need to be asking yourself."_

Peter felt the ground beneath him rumbling a little before he spotted something rising out of the ground in front of him. It was a wide mirror that showed his reflection.

" _Are you just a man, or are you something more."_

The reflection in the mirror changed to that of a large black spider standing on what looked like two legs before shifting into the Amazing Spider-Man. Peter looked at himself and then turned away. A mirror emerged from the ground to his right showing him another image of Spider-Man.

* * *

Peter turned to the left narrowing his eyes as a mirror was there waiting for him. The Amazing Spider-Man reflection waved at him.

"I'm not him anymore."

" _I beg to differ."_

He gritted his teeth and jumped out of the center of the mirrors and landed a few feet away.

"Let me out of here." Peter demanded.

" _I can't do that just yet."_ The voice said seriously.

"Let me out!" he yelled, "I gave it up alright, get that through your head lady."

" _You can't give up who you are young man."_

Peter lowered his head.

"Why are you bothering me? If you're some evil entity that I've pissed off can we just skip to the end?"

" _I'm not an evil entity Mr. Parker. I'm a real live person that's trying to help you and possibly your friends in the process."_

"Which friends?" He asked.

* * *

The spiders beneath him rumbled again and from the ground Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist emerged.

" _A war is brewing Mr. Parker. In your absence an old enemy has returned and ignited a War. A War of the three Kingpins and with all wars there lies the potential for casualties._ "

Peter heard the sound of rumbling coming from behind him and he turned to see the Black Cat standing behind him.

"Felicia." He whispered.

A wave of red mist washed over him before it formed into two separate mirrors, one with Felicia putting on her Black Cat costume and then other of his friend Matt Murdock getting ready as Daredevil.

"They are in danger and need your help. They need Spider-Man's help, so what are you going to do?"

* * *

 **Hell's Kitchen- 7:30pm**

Matt Murdock stood in front of the window inside his apartment dressed in his scarlet clad costume. He gripped his mask tightly as his radar senses allowed him to _'see'_ everything around him. The city was quiet, too quiet for his taste. On any given day there were numerous crimes happening, too many to count sometimes and even though he wouldn't get to all of them he got to as many as he could but tonight and several nights before, it was quiet. There were no police sirens, screams for help, or husbands beating wives, there was not so much as a conversation about crime. It was unsettling but only because he knew the reason.

Wilson Fisk, Mr. Negative, and The Owl, the so called three kings of New York City had called a meeting for tonight to discuss a cease fire. The fate of the city going forward depended on how this meeting turned out. If they came to an agreement then there would be some semblance of peace, if not there would be War. So far they have only been taking pot shots at each other but if it continued there was no doubt that thing would get louder and messier.

Matt gritted his teeth.

' _Three Kings, huh?'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

For the better part of a year he had been hammering the warring underworld and attempting to prove that he was the new Kingpin in town. If that's what the criminals, thugs and thieves needed to stay in line then he would be that person. In the beginning it had worked but everything had been derailed when word that Wilson Fisk had returned with a vengeance and the first casualty of course was his wife Vanessa. The cops ruled it a suicide but when he broke into the coroner's office and examined the body for himself he could smell the leather from the gloves that had been around her throat, the heavy scent of male deodorant that stuck to her body. He felt the deep and large hand imprints upon her neck and immediately knew that she had been murdered and who had murdered her.

He didn't lose any sleep over Vanessa's death but he knew that her death was not the last. It wasn't. Fisk and Bullseye had been on a killing streak that left no stone unturned. The mob families fell back in line within a few weeks of his return giving him more muscle. The splintered thugs that tried to form their own side business without his say so were dealt with and when all seemed like it was about to fall into place, Mr. Negative and his inner demons stormed upon the scene.

Mr. Negative fought back, declaring that he owned New York but Fisk was there to retaliate, and not long after the Owl threw his hand into the ring. At first no one took him seriously until his mysterious assassin popped onto the scene. The assassin was swift and almost invisible because no one had ever seen him and it seemed that he loved to drown his victims. Matt had gone to one of the crime scenes but there had been no trace of the assassin, only water everywhere. And he couldn't track any scents from the water.

* * *

He did his best to reclaim the ground he had lost but everyone feared the three kings more so than the Man without fear. He knew he had to do something drastic and dangerous to make everyone fear him enough to do as he commanded and thankfully the Lord had provided him with such an opportunity.

Matt slipped his mask over his face and he opened his eyes.

"All the players in one place, I take em down and everyone will know that I am the new Kingpin. The streets will be safe."

"I still think it's a dumb idea." Came the voice of Luke Cage.

* * *

Daredevil could _'see'_ him through his three hundred sixty degree radar sense. He was sitting at the table that was behind him eating a turkey sandwich and drinking a beer, next to him was his best friend and heroes for hire partner Danny Rand aka Iron Fist.

"And let me make a correction. You said when **I** take them down. I think you mean when **we** take them down?" Danny questioned

Daredevil turned to face his friends and he shook his head.

"No, this is something I have to do alone. I started this thing well me and Spidey but he's gone so it's up to me to end it. Also I don't want to endanger anymore of my friends because…"

"Cut that crap short man. You ain't our Moms or Pops. We're adults we knew the risk when we signed up." Luke interrupted.

"And Colleen is doing okay." Danny chimed "Misty told me she's healing well, she's more pissed that she let Bullseye get the drop on her on that last raid."

"I knew we shouldn't have split up." Daredevil said, "Look I know you all know the risk but, please just do me a favor and sit this one out. I gotta go or else I'll be late for the meeting. In the meantime you guys need to keep at that missing person's case."

Daredevil turned away from his friends and headed for the window. He opened it and jumped out, using his Billy club to swing to the next building.

* * *

Luke and Danny watched him go before looking at each other.

"You know we're going after him right." Said Luke through a mouthful of food.

"Of course, but let's give him a five minute head start so he thinks he's going in it alone." Danny replied, "By the way, Matt kinda brings up a point I've been meaning to ask you. How goes our missing person."

Luke took a long swig from his beer as he heard the question from his partner.

"Yeah, I found her."

"And you're just now saying something?" Danny questioned.

"It was last night and it was by chance. I almost didn't recognize her without the pink hair."

"So did you talk to her?"

"…something like that." Luke responded "She's in a bad way right now and I think the best thing is that until Jewel…..Jessica is ready, we need to keep our distance."

Danny rolled his eyes and he checked his watch.

"Four minutes to go."

* * *

 **TriBeca- Hardy Penthouse**

Felicia slipped her domino mask over her eyes as she walked towards the balcony. She heard the phone ring behind her and the sound of her sister Valerie filtered through the speakers.

" _Felicia pick up the damn phone."_ She demanded " _I know you're there dammit. You're being such a selfish little child you know that. Dad is getting worse and he wants you here with him, we all want you here with us. FELICIA!_ "

The Black Cat ignored the voice and leapt over the edge.

* * *

The wind whipped through her hair however no enjoyment was felt. The call from Valerie had stirred some emotions that she had been trying to forget for the last several months to a year. Her hero, and most cherished person on earth, John ' _The Cat'_ Hardesky was dying. The leukemia had began to rapidly spread and as each day passed he seemed weaker and weaker, a far cry from the strong and powerful man she knew him to be. It crushed her to see him that way and so a few weeks ago she walked away. She refused to see him or any of her family.

After regaining control of her company Anastasia Hardy had moved them all out of the penthouse and into a loft uptown where they would be closer together however Felicia stayed in the penthouse. She needed to be on her own to process everything on her own time. Anastasia was livid with her decision but Felicia didn't care she couldn't spend another moment watching her father, the man who taught her everything she knew about the world, die a slow and painful death. The teen's mind flashed to all the tubes in his arms and nose, the heart monitors, the bald thinning hair and pale almost ghostly white skin. It was terrible and depressing and if there was one that she hated it was feeling either of those things. She needed to do something that made her feel normal and safe and so she had went back to stealing but that did not turn out in her favor either thanks to the three kings battling it out for territory.

* * *

The Black Cat rolled in the air and fired her grappling line and swung downward in a long arc before coming back up and flipping over a roof-top chimney and running across the roof. She neared the edge and with a single leap she cleared the small gap and continued on.

The bright side of her father's illness was that it brought him and her mother closer together. In the past eleven months the two of them had found the love that had been lost between them, the irony is that it's only at his impending death he felt like he was alive again.

The Black Cat jumped off the building she was on and fell through the air before landing softly on the hood of a passing bus. She scoffed.

' _I'm so tired of death.'_ She thought to herself _'Every time I look up someone is either dead or dying. Are you trying to tell me something God, what is with all the death and loss in my life? I know black cats are bad luck but I mean come on, this is a little too on the nose.'_

The Black Cat looked down to the golden medallion that was hanging around her neck.

' _At least I've got you. You are my ticket to at least a small amount of fleeting happiness.'_

* * *

Anastasia Hardy, in her anger at her daughter's abandonment had officially cut her off from her money. It was one of the reasons why Black Cat went back to stealing. She not only wanted to have a good time but she also needed money. She had been getting stonewalled from the upheaval in the underworld but thankfully Valerie had been slipping her a few thousand dollars behind their mother's back which was enough to keep the penthouse but not enough to satisfy her very very expensive taste.

The Black Cat smiled as she palmed the medallion

"I sell you and get a cool fifty thousand and maybe finally get a little normalcy in my life."

She smiled as she looked forward and down the road and in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

* * *

 **Brooklyn- Meeting Point**

Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of Crime stepped out of his limo and adjusted the crisp white suit that adorned his very large and robust body. He surveyed his surroundings for a moment before his attention was diverted to Bullseye and the rest of the mercenaries emerging from the van behind him, each of them armed to the teeth and ready for war.

"Let's go." He commanded as he walked towards the seemingly abandoned printing press factory, that was close the waterfront of the East River.

* * *

 **Across the street- Rundown apartment complex**

Wilson Fisk dressed in all black adjusted his high powered sniper riffle while looking through the scope at himself and his mercenaries as they entering the old factory. He smirked. The others, Mr. Negative and the Owl had already arrived and were in position. He had a clear shot of each them through his scope.

' _It would be so easy, but I want them to hear the message before they leave this earth. I want them to burn in hell knowing that I will always be the Kingp….what have we here?'_

Wilson slightly adjusted his scope when he spotted a white clad female figure prowling around the roof of the Factory. He narrowed his eyes as he got a close up of her beautiful face.

"Sable." He whispered as he carefully placed his finger on the trigger, but he quickly took it off the trigger as he saw her turn around. Wilson smiled as he saw Daredevil standing there behind her.

' _Murdock. He's right on time. I'll let them soften each other up first before I blow their brains out.'_

* * *

 **Down below-Apartment of Blackie Gaxton- Same time**

The Black Cat entered the apartment from the fire escape, but upon entry she saw nothing but an empty living room, with a few specs of dried blood on the white carpet near the couch.

"Gaxton!" she called, "Where the hell are you?"

* * *

 **Across the way- Inside the Warehouse**

"Well Well, looks like the gang is all here." Said Bullseye, his eyes roaming over the Owl and his henchman, then to Mr. Negative, Hammerhead, and the inner demons, "If I didn't know any better I'd say we all came with our best foot forward. It's kinda odd to bring this much heat for a truce."

"I was born at night Bullseye but not last night." The Owl retorted, "This is anything but a friendly cease fire."

"You question my motives." Fisk said wit indignation in his voice, "I gave you my word that..."

Mr. Negative spit on the ground while Hammerhead stepped forward.

"Your word is meaningless Fisk."

The Owl pointed his brown cane at Fisk.

"You really expect us to believe that you wanted to come to an accord. You must think we're stupid."

"I think you're reasonable men who want to end this pointless war." Fisk replied.

"It's not pointless Fisk!" The Owl snapped, "This is about reclaiming something you took from me. Do you remember what that was?"

Fisk stared at him for a long moment, studying his features before putting a cocky smirk upon his lips.

"Your dignity from the looks of you." He said.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" The Owl roared, "MY DIGNITY!"

"Heh, like you had any to begin with Owlly." Bullseye added.

"Fine. Since none of you will listen to reason or kiss the ring then there is only one thing left to say…..WAR!"

* * *

 **Up Above**

Daredevil used his Billy club to block an overhead strike from Sable's sword. The scarlet clad vigilante's attention was on her but he could hear the conversation going on down below. He could tell that it was beginning to shift into something ugly by the sounds of their heartbeats quickening.

He suddenly jumped back, dodging a mid range slash from Sable. In a matter of seconds his well laid plan to sneak up on the so called three Kingpins was shattered when he noticed Sable perched on the roof. He thought he could sneak up on her and knock her out but she was skilled and heard him before he could make his move leading the current skirmish between them.

Daredevil kicked her in the chest and she returned with a spin kick to his jaw. He saw an outline of her sword coming from his head and so rolled forward making her miss. Sable gritted her teeth and doubled her efforts to behead the vigilante.

* * *

Sable pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him but he knocked it out of her grasp with a palm strike. She went low to sweep him but he lifted his front foot, however she was expecting that and came up with her sword and slashed him across his chest, slashing through his armor slighting and catching skin. The dripping blood that trickled from the wound was magnified thanks to his enhanced senses.

Daredevil dodged another attack from Sable and he blocked out the pain as well as the trickling blood only to hear a sound that made his blood run cold. The sound of a weapon being cocked.

' _Rifle.'_ He thought to himself.

 **SPIFFFFFFFFFFFFTTT!** Came the sound of the bullet zooming through the air.

* * *

Daredevil had enough time to gasp as the bullet pierced his shoulder. It went through him and struck Sable in the collarbone, shattering it upon impact.

"ARGHHHHHHH!" Daredevil and Sable roared out, both clutching their wounds. _"See you in hell Murdock!"_ came Fisk's voice through the air just as the sound of another bullet being shifted into the weapon and about to be fired.

DD gritted his teeth and in spite of the pain he lunged forward, spearing Sable across the waist just as the bullet that was meant to end the both of them whizzed past.

 **CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of the two of them crashing through the skylight and falling down below into a hail of bullets.

* * *

 **Same Time- Inside Gaxton's apartment**

"GAXTON! WHERE….." Black Cat started then stopped.

He almost didn't make a sound but she heard him and she saw his shadow off the wall in the corner of her eyes. Black Cat ducked and then rolled forward, the knife missing her skull by mere inches. She brought her leg around and swept her attacker off of his feet. She saw that it was the Prowler and her eyes widen in shock.

' _DOUBLE CROSSED!'_ She shouted in her mind.

"GIVE IT BACK!" The Prowler yelled as he got to his feet and lunged managing to grab her by the neck and slam her into the wall, "GIVE ME BACK MY MEDALLION!"

"F-Finder's….K-Keepers, losers….get kicked in the balls."

* * *

The Black Cat swung her foot forward catching him in the groin but her foot hit a metal plate.

"Well, damn, balls of steel." She said while flexing her claws and sinking them into the mechanical gauntlets on the Prowler's wrists.

 **KRZZZZZ! KRZZZZZ!** Went the sound of her nails piercing the electronics inside.

"GAH!" he shouted "YOU FOOL!"

The Prowler instantly let her go and he looked at his gauntlets. The masked man's eyes widened as his right gauntlet felt like it was on fire and as quickly as he could he got the device off and he threw it away and into the kitchen.

 **KRZZZ! KRZZ! KRZZ! FWOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the malfunctioning device as it went up in flames and fired thin but high powered lasers in every direction. The Prowler and the Black Cat both dove for cover as the thin lasers pierced the walls, the floors and the roof.

* * *

 **Roof**

 **PFTTTTTTTTTTTTT!** Came the sound of one of the laser emerging through the roof. Wilson Fisk turned away from his sniper rifle and to the hole that was several feet behind him.

"What the hell?"

The lasers continued to fire out until one hit the stove gas-line. The Prowler saw the broken line, the seeping gas and finally the window which was his only means of escape.

"Not again!" He growled as he got to his feet and charged towards the window.

Black Cat spotted the broken gas line and the sparks and laser's popping off of the Prowler's broken gauntlet.

' _I have the work luck in the world!'_ She thought to herself as she started after the Prowler.

* * *

 **BAMM!** Came the sound of the closet door busting open and someone falling out. Black Cat stopped and spotted Blackie Gaxton bound, gagged and bleeding and mumbling for her to help him.

' _Leave him, leave him, leave him, leave him, leave him, leave….DAMMIT!'_

* * *

She growled to herself as she went to him and hoisted him over her shoulder.

"God you're fat!" she said as she ran towards the window.

The gas seeped towards the sparking gauntlet and it instantly ignited.

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

 **Up Above**

Wilson stood to his feet as he heard the loud explosion, followed by the building below him rumbling and wobbling.

"Ah hell." He said but at that moment he heard the sound of yelling and gunfire coming from the rundown factory across the street. He smirked but it vanished once he heard the sound of a car come swerving around the corner. He looked down and saw a familiar looking Cadillac. The Cadillac sped towards the factory and bashed through the front.

"Cage." He cursed as he tried to quickly get back into position.

Fisk looked through the scope and saw the inner demons, his hired guns along with himself, Daredevil, Sable, Bullseye, Luke Cage and Iron Fist fighting it out. He took his eyes off of them and looked at the Owl. He saw Hammerhead grab the Owl by the front of his green coat.

"It's like taking candy from a baby." He said as he let off a single round that struck Hammerhead in the hip giving him a clear shot of the Owl. He squeezed the trigger right when the building below him gave off another explosion which threw off his shot and nicked the Owl in the head.

* * *

Fisk felt the roof cave inwards and into a blazing inferno. He managed to grab hold of the edge of the roof and prevent himself from behind consumed in the flames. Fisk hung on for dear live but the heat mad his hands sweaty and he could feel himself loosing his grip. The screams from the people that lived in the in the unkempt and rundown apartment building filled his ears as they ran outside as did the sound of the crumbling edge he was holding onto. Wilson watched in horror as the bricks broke apart and sent him falling forward and down to the street below.

* * *

 **Printing Press Factory: Few seconds Before the explosion**

 **CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

Everyone looked up as Daredevil and Sable came falling through the skylight among a hail of bullets from down belw. The two of them landed on the catwalk that was a few feet up above.

 **BANG! BANG! POW! POW!**

"KILL THEM!" The Owl shouted as he grabbed one of his henchman and pushed him forward.

Bullets riddled the air and several hit the weak supports of the catwalk making it jostle and fall down below.

 **CLLLLLLANNNNNNNGGGG!**

* * *

The Owl gritted his teeth as he looked around for his ace in the hole but he had yet to show his face.

' _Damn you Morris!'_

The Owl watch his men take care of business but for every one they hit one of them fell to the ground thanks to either the Inner Demons or one of Fisk's mercenaries. It was a firefight he knew his men couldn't win however he didn't need them to win just stall long enough for Hydro-Man to make his appearance and take everyone out.

The Owl ducked as a bullet ricochet off the metal printing machine he was hiding behind.

* * *

Bullseye quickly tossed some throwing stars at Mr. Negative hoping to hit him but one of his inner demons jumped in the way and took the throwing stars to the head. He said a curse as he took out more throwing stars and began to throw them at his targets.

Sable ignored the pain in her shattered collar bone while zeroing in on Bullseye who miraculously had his back to her from her spot on the ground.

' _One shot!'_

Sable forced herself to her feet and dashed towards Bullseye, her sword poised to skewer him. She was close to killing him when a flash of white out the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Wilson Fisk thrusted out a hard side kick that nailed her in the stomach which knocking her to the side and sent a wave of pain through her body. Bullseye turned and smirked at Fisk however the smirk was wiped away as Daredevil appeared and kneed him in the face knocking out a tooth in the process.

* * *

Daredevil landed and spun around and back fisted Fisk in the face. In a split second he got a chance to 'look' at Fisk but he noticed that his heartbeat was wrong.

"Who are you?" he demanded however he got his answer with a swift kick to the chin from Fisk. Fisk charged at him with two hard punches, another kick followed by a palm strike to his nose which earned a train of blood leaking from his nose.

' _Too fast.'_ Daredevil thought as he did his best to defend against the flurry of attacks that came from the oversize man.

* * *

Bullseye spit out blood but had no time to dwell on it because Sable tried to take his head from his shoulders with her sword. She had recovered and doubled her effort to kill him. Bullseye roared a he felt the tip of her sword slash his arm.

The crazed assassin rolled out of the way and attempted to create some space from her and in his brief reprieve he looked to his left to see Daredevil jump over Fisk and punched him in the face. Bullseye spotted Sable gearing up for another attack and an idea formed in his mind.

He grabbed his last throwing star and threw it at the man without fear. Daredevil smacked it out of the way with his club and then threw his Billy club at Bullseye who snagged it out of the air.

"Thanks, I needed that." He said while using the Billy Club to block Sable's sword from stabbing him in the chest.

* * *

Daredevil turned away from the two of them and to Fisk who at that moment grabbed his injured arm bending it into an arm lock.

"Argh! No way you're Fisk." He whispered pain evident in his voice.

Daredevil felt a surge of agony travel through his arm and for a moment it disoriented him, but the sound of tires and the smell of a familiar aftershave approaching his position gave him a brief moment of reprieve.

 **SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECHHHHHHHH! BAMMMMMMMMMMM!**

* * *

Everyone briefly turned to the front of the factory as a Cadillac came barreling through the front.

"Just in the nick of time." Daredevil said to himself.

Luke and Iron Fist quickly got of the car and joined the firefight. The Bullets bounced off of Luke's skin while socking an Inner demon in the face.

"POWER MAN AND IRON FIST COMIN THROUGH!"

* * *

Hammerhead charged head first through the Owl's henchmen head until he reached his main target. The Owl stood there unafraid of the towering cybernetic thug. Hammerhead grabbed him by the front of his green cloak.

"Mr. Negative says your time is up." said Hammerhead.

 **PFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTT!** Came the sound of the bullet striking and going through his hip bouncing off of the cybernetic implant. The pain was intense and caused him to release his hold on the would be Kingpin.

The Owl watched him go down and then looked in the direction the bullet came from.

He stood there waiting for imminent however death did not come for him. A second bullet came flying forward but grazed the side of his head. The wannabe Kingpin then felt Hammerhead grab him again strike him in the face with his head breaking his nose. He laid there on the ground bleeding.

"HYDRO-MAN HELP!" he yelled through the noise and the pain of his severely broken nose.

"GET OVER HERE!" Hammerhead growled as he crawled towards his enemy.

He may have been injured but he would not disappoint his master.

* * *

 **Outside- Waterfront- East River**

A few feet away from the old printing press factory where the three kings of New York fought desperately for their throne to the city, the calm water stirred intently. It slowly began to bubble before it started to churn and twist in a circular motion.

The twisting water grew bigger and bigger until a large cyclone of swirling water emerged in the middle of the East River. A second longer passed until a giant column of water shot out of the middle of the vortex of swirling water. The column hung high in the air for a moment before arms emerged on either side of it, followed by a torso forming and finally a head composed entirely of water.

* * *

Hydro-Man laughed as he felt the power coursing through his watery veins, he was connected to a vast source of water and it made him feel invincible. The twisting cyclone of water that was his lower body moved towards the old factory where the sounds of gun fire and yelling echoed in the night.

The watery fiend, with his giant hands reached forward and grabbed the factory roof. He easily ripped the ceiling off of the warehouse and threw it clear across the river where it crashed into the streets of Manhattan with a loud thud.

* * *

Hydro-Man lean forward his eyes roaming over the three Kingpins and their hired guns who stared up at him as if he was God. He loved the look and it only empowered him even more.

"PEEK-A-BOO, I SEE YOU!" He said, his voice booming and menacing.

All of the remaining mercenaries and inner demons turned their weapon unto the towering Hydro-Man and began to fire. The bullets hit his water which did nothing but make him laugh harder and louder.

"COME ON! IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT! HAHA! POSEIDON EAT YOUR HEART OUT!"

"BENCH!"

* * *

Hydro-Man heard his name and he spotted the bleeding Owl rising to his feet.

"You're late!"

"So what." Hydro-Man returned, voice booming over all of them "I'm here now."

"KILL THEM ALL! BUT LEAVE ME FISK ALIVE" The Owl ordered.

* * *

Hydro-Man turned his attention back to everyone else while holding up his giant fists made of water.

"Well folks you heard the man. It looks like all of you are about to sleep with the fishes, HAHAHAHAHA!"

Hydro-Man brought both of his fists down filling the entire factory with water, consuming everyone inside except the Owl who was safe inside of an air bubble formed by Hydro-Man.

* * *

The Owl watched with gleeful smile upon his bloody face as his henchman and enemies all struggled to hold their breath.

"Drown them. DROWN THEM ALL!"

* * *

 **Outside- At the same time**

Black Cat stared up at the giant Hydro-Man with a mixture of fear and awe. She was sporting several bleeding cuts but otherwise she was fine as was Blackie Gaxton.

"Oh My God." She whispered as the ground shook from Hydro-Man's fist slamming down.

The thief rose to her feet but at that moment she felt a punch to her stomach that rattled her insides. She dropped to her knees as the Prowler de-cloaked in front of her. The purple cape he wore had been torn and scorched. The purple mask that was on his face had been partially ripped revealing his dark skinned jawline.

* * *

He snarled at Black Cat while roughly taking his gold medallion from around her neck. He opened his mouth to speak when two gunshots rang out in the night and struck him in the chest.

The Prowler went down to the ground leaving the Black Cat alone to face her enemy, Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of Crime. He was sporting dozens of facial cuts that were oozing blood just like her own. She saw that a bone from his right arm was stick out of the skin and he had some partial burns to his legs, but through all of that the menacing glare upon his bleeding face is what grabbed her attention.

* * *

Fisk raised his weapon.

"I don't even know you and I know that the two of you are responsible for this. My well laid plans ruined thanks to some costumed freaks. I hate all of you." He said before pulling the trigger.

The Black Cat gasped.

 **POW!**

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review:** **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 comin back at'cha with closing comments to another awesome chapter. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and review. I hope you've been enjoying the story and I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. The first part to the Kingpin War.**

 **The First shots have been fired and all three sides have come to the agreement that no one is willing to call a truce. So if no middle ground can be found then its WAR!**

 **Daredevil, Luke, and Iron Fist are caught in the war in an attempt to stop it but it seems that Hydro-Man's appearance was a little too much for them. LOL! I wonder how they're going to get out of this one.**

 **I wonder how Black Cat will survive her little predicament as well. What once again started out as a simple fence has turned into something else. LOL! She's made an enemy out of the mysterious Prowler and now finds herself staring down the barrel of the Former Kingpin of crime. And again this is only the first part.**

 **Once more I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter because there is more to come soon. If anyone has any questions, comments, rants, or raves leave it in the review or hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP! This is Nomad88 saying later….**

 **PS: Captain America Civil War. Thoughts? Story great. Acting Superb. Black Panther, AWESOME! Spidey…was AMAZING, in spite of a few questionable incidents.**

 **Next up: Kingpin War part 2: Waterworld**

* * *

 **Summary: Hydro-Man goes on a rampage, and there is no one, not even Kevin Costner, that can stop him…or is there? Be there to find out.**


	5. Kingpin War part two: Waterworld

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey Readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the next chapter in TSA: Amazing Spider-Man volume 3. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, three four chapters in and we're already in the middle of a huge three side/four side battle LOL! Anyway I'm gonna keep it short so you can get to the chapter, but before I go I just want to say please continue to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Kingpin War part 2: Waterworld**

 **Somewhere Unknown**

Peter's eyes widened in sheer terror at the sight of Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron First under water and drowning in the mirror to his left and the Black Cat about to get shot in the face by Fisk in the mirror on his right. He tried to reach out to them but at that moment the mirrors receded into the ground of spiders obscuring his vision of what was about to happen to them.

"NO!" he shouted.

" _Their death is imminent Mr. Parker._ " came the mysterious female voice from all around.

"THEN DO SOMETHING!" Peter shouted at the voice.

" _I care not for their lives, they mean nothing to me."_

"Well they mean something to me and if you want me to do anything for you, you'll save them!"

" _The only thing I want is for you to realize that your destiny is very important and it's time for you to reclaim it before it's too late."_

"Listen to me, destiny or Fate or whatever you want to call it. I don't give a crap about any of that and I'm not even sure I believe it. I'm just…I was just a guy in a mask lady, nothing more, nothing less. I tried my hand at doing something that was worthwhile. I tried to do the right thing and use my great power responsibly and look at what happened. PEOPLE DIED! And not just one or two but three people that meant the world to me are DEAD! So no, I won't…I can't be that person anymore, my life is in shambles enough as it is. I'm done."

" _What is broken can be fixed again Mr. Parker."_

Peter put a scowl on his face.

"I don't think we've evolved to the point of being able to resurrect the dead yet Ms mysterious voice."

" _I'm not talking about resurrecting the dead. It is a fact of life that we sometimes lose the ones we love and we can not change it. However just because we can't change the past doesn't mean we can give up on living in the present or protecting the future. When there is death there is life."_

"Hey lady, can you do me a favor and be just a little bit more cryptic. I don't think you're annoying enough." Peter responded.

" _Why did you save Eddie Brock's life? Why did you let your enemy live? If you're truly apathetic it would've been easy to not do anything and just let him fall to his death, but you didn't so why?"_

Peter didn't answer.

" _You are Spider-Man and I shall prove it. My powers are limited and he is almost always watching when he's not scheming so we must be quick and thankfully it is not a great distance."_

"He? He who?"

" _Everything will be revealed in time. The thing you should focus on is finding who you are, are you man, spider or are you **Spider-Man**." _

* * *

Peter felt a wave of red mist fly past him. He tried to brush it away as it wrapped around him partially blinding him from the black open space that was around him. The ground suddenly gave way and he felt himself falling and falling.

"And suddenly I feel like Alice in Wonderland."

* * *

 **Brooklyn**

Peter blinked and he saw the sidewalk nearing and so he braced himself and landed in a crouch. He looked up and across the street from him was Fisk pointing a gun in Black Cat's face.

' _Great Scott!'_ He thought to himself, _'I just saw…did she, did I time travel?'_

At that moment Peter's spider-sense came to life and everything around him slowed down to a crawl highlighting the danger around him. He could see and feel the giant Hydro-Man that was drowning his friends inside the factory and he could see and feel the scene that was in front of him with the Black Cat about to be killed by Fisk.

Peter's spider-sense honed in on the trash can lid next to him followed by Fisk's hand. He knew what he needed to do but in the split second his spider sense took over he also realized that the mysterious woman that was watching him was giving him a choice. She was testing him, he could either do nothing or he could act, but he must choose.

' _That's what I love about life, choices.'_ He thought to himself as he reached for the trash can lid. He couldn't let her die too many people he cared about were dead already and he couldn't let it happen again, at least not within his vicinity, no matter how much he wanted to stay on the sidelines.

Peter palmed the lid and flung it like a Frisbee at Fisk's gun hand hitting it just as a bullet left the chamber.

* * *

 **Across the Way**

Fisk raised his weapon.

"I don't even know you and I know that the two of you are responsible for this. My well laid plans ruined thanks to some costumed freaks. I hate all of you" He said before pulling the trigger.

The Black Cat gasped.

 **POW!**

* * *

 **PING!** came the sound of the bullet ricocheting off the car next the Black Cat's head.

Black Cat released a breath as she realized that she was still alive. Fisk took a step back groaning in pain. She looked to the right and at the bullet that was sticking out of the car door but a flash of something out her peripheral's caught her attention.

 **CLANNNNGGG!** Went the sound of a metal trash can bashing into Fisk's face and knocking him down to the ground.

"The hell?"

* * *

Black Cat turned to see Peter running into sight and the moment she saw him a large smile appeared on her face.

"DAMN YOU!"

The Black Cat turned just in time to receive a punch in the face from the Prowler.

* * *

The Prowler geared up for another punch when he felt a power kick to his cracked ribs. He ignored the pain and whipped around with a back-fist that nailed Peter in the face. He flexed his claws and came across the middle managing to tear some of Peter's clothes with his sharp digits. The Prowler swiftly lifted his foot and smacked his foe in the face with a kick.

'OOOf. _Rusty.'_ Peter thought to himself as he ducked under the next strike.

The Prowler threw out another kick but Peter leaned back and then came up with an uppercut that launched the prowler into the air and over the roof of the car next to them. Once the Prowler was taken care of he dropped down and cradled Black Cat in his arms.

"Felicia, are you okay?" he asked.

She smiled.

"Now that you're here, yeah I am."

* * *

Peter's spider sense came to life again before he could respond and he felt it pointing towards Hydro-Man who was still drowning Daredevil, Luke and Iron Fist. He pursed his lips into a thin line while his eyes drifted towards Fisk's fallen sniper rifle that was laying on the ground.

"Do you know how to hot-wire a car?" he asked Black Cat.

"I've been known to boost a few cars in my day." She replied while sitting up and wiping the trail of blood away from her nose.

"What about shooting a rifle?"

"Not my forte but I'm no slouch." She said.

"Good, because I'm gonna need you to do both."

* * *

 **Inside Printing Press Factory**

Daredevil struggled to hold his breath because not only was the dirty water freezing cold but the sheer amount of pressure Hydro-Man was exerting upon them as the seconds ticked by was excruciating. The radar sense he used to see was useless as he couldn't make out anything other than what looked like muddled dark wavy lines. He could hear something that sounded like mumbled gurgling and a few people splashing about fighting the water but nothing concrete.

' _Is this how it ends.'_ DD thought to himself as he struggled to swim upwards however a pair of hands in the water formed and grabbed hold of him and dragged him down, _'Karen, I'm coming…..Elektra, Natasha, I'm sorry.'_

* * *

Luke and Iron Fist struggled to breathe as well; Luke tried to swim but his heavy unbreakable body caused him to sink downward faster than anyone else. Iron Fist grabbed him but Luke waved him away and pointed towards the large opening the two of them created earlier with the Cadillac.

Iron Fist took the hint. He knew he couldn't help his best friend while trapped inside the watery dome. The only way to get them out of this predicament was to make it to the outside and use his chi to disrupt the water.

Iron Fist swam through the high pressured water as best as he could, fighting with every ounce of strength he could muster to reach the opening. He was close to it, merely a few inches away. Iron Fist reached out expecting to break through the water dome and to the outside but to his horror the water tightened into a solid barrier blocking his escape. Iron Fist hit and kicked the barrier but it held strong.

The face of Hydro-Man appeared in front of him.

"No escape." He said before intensifying his control over the water and making Iron Fist sink to the ground.

* * *

The Owl continued to watch his enemies drown within their watery grave but his attention was drawn to Wilson Fisk. He narrowed his eyes as the large man was being dragged through the water and towards the air bubble that he was safely tucked into. The Owl took a step back as Hydro-Man stepped into the air bubble and tossed Fisk to his feet.

"Here's Fisk as promised." Hydro-Man said, "And I got a little present for ya too."

He held out his hand and the water behind him churned and placed Sable's sword into his hands. The Owl grasped the sword and a sense of satisfaction began to wash over him.

"I've been waiting a long time for this Fisk." He said while holding the sword out and in front of Fisk's face.

Fisk looked past him for a moment and a few steps away he spotted a door with words exit written above it. He then turned his attention to Hydro-Man who was standing next to him. The large man narrowed his eyes and snaked his right hand towards the green circular belt buckle around his waist.

' _Fisk, you fat rat bastard, you didn't tell me there would me mutant freaks at this meeting. And now to escape I have to destroy yet another belt. Oh this is going to cost you BIG TIME!'_

* * *

The Fisk imposter looked up at the gloating Owl and in an instant he was on his feet. He knocked the sword away with his left hand and with the same hand he wrapped an arm around the Owl's throat and with his right he held out his circular belt buckle at Hydro-Man who took one step forward.

"Take another step and I blow us to hell." Came the imposter's distorted voice.

Hydro-Man tilted his head to the side as Fisk suddenly changed into that of **the Chameleon**.

* * *

The Owl managed to get a glimpse of the man that was holding him and anger replaced the satisfaction he was feeling just moments before.

"You're not Fisk!"

"No shit!" The Chameleon replied as he slowly started backing towards the door. He briefly looked behind him to see that the air bubble they were in was moving along with them, just as he had hoped.

"Let him go." Hydro-Man said in a dangerous voice.

"I'm thinking no or at least not yet." Chameleon replied while glancing over his shoulder and towards the back exit that was coming closer and closer, "You let me go and I let him go that's how this works kid."

Hydro-Man thought the offer over for a moment before shaking his head.

"How about I kill you." He said.

The Chameleon tightened his grip upon the Owl however the assassin was unprepared for what happened next. The air bubble around them suddenly shrunk and hundreds of tendrils of water emerged outward and wrapped around the Chameleon tightly. The Owl feeling his grip loosen considerably quickly moved out of the way and next to watery assassin.

* * *

"You alright?" Hydro-Man asked, making sure to keep his eyes locked upon the Chameleon.

"I'm fine." The Owl gagged out, "Where is Fisk?"

The Chameleon locked eyes with him.

"Let me go and I'll tell you."

The Owl gritted his teeth and slapped him in the face as hard as he could.

"WHERE IS HE!?"

The Chameleon didn't answer.

"Morris, I want you to rip one of his arms off, maybe then he'll be in a talking mood."

"With pleasure." Hydro-Man replied.

The Chameleon's eyes widen in terror as he felt one of the tendrils of water that was wrapped around him begin to tug on his left arm tightly.

"NO!" He yelled as Hydro-Man began to laugh while directing his water to tug tighter.

 **POP!** Came the sound of the Chameleon's arm popping out of its socket.

* * *

 **Outside**

Peter wildly swerved along the road while he sped down the street.

' _I picked a good time to remember that I don't know how to drive.'_ He thought to himself.

He stepped on the gas and made the car go faster. He saw that he was nearing the factory and knew that his time was running out to save his friends.

"I only got one shot, so I hope we both make it count."

Peter opened the door to the driver's side as the large factory opening came into view. He dove out of the speeding car and rolled along the ground. He then watched as the car continued on and hit Fisk's parked limo making into turn onto its side and go sliding into the opening slightly breaking through the watery barrier Hydro-Man had erected.

"NOW!" Peter shouted, his voice echoing in the night air.

* * *

Black Cat adjusted the scope on the sniper rifle, focusing the underside of the overturned car Peter just rammed into the barrier. She took a slow breath and then squeezed the trigger.

 **PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTT** went the sound of the bullet, hitting the gas tank underneath the vehicle.

* * *

Peter felt his spider-sense kick into over drive just as the car exploded.

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

The explosion rippled through the watery barrier popping part of it open and releasing some of the water and some of its occupants. Iron Fist, Luke, and Daredevil along with some of the inner demons and mercenaries were among those that poured out the opening and to the outside.

* * *

 **Inside the Factory**

Hydro-Man ceased his attack on the Chameleon and turned his attention to the leaking water. He concentrated hard on the gushing barrier and sealed it off before any of his victims could escape. The Chameleon saw the brief lap in his attention which gave him the opportunity to act and save his life. The master of disguise double clicked one of the two buttons on his circular buckle and dropped it. As it was falling he kicked it towards Hydro-Man's feet.

 **TNK! TNK! TNK!** Came the sound of it landing right below him.

The Owl saw the green circular buckle change to red and immediate he knew that it was about to explode.

"MORRIS! BOMB!" he shouted.

Hydro-Man looked down at the glowing red buckle.

"Ah hell." He said right as it exploded.

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Went the sound of the violent explosion.

* * *

Hydro-Man was blown apart which disrupted his concentration on the water causing the barrier to break and the water to pour out of the old factory. The Chameleon and the Owl were thrown backwards and sent barreling into the wall that was next to the back exit.

Once the water drained from the factory everyone that was left inside let out a collective gasp as they greedily sucked in the much needed air.

* * *

The Chameleon let out a pained groaned as he crawled towards the exit and made his escape.

' _Fisk, you and I will have words.'_ He thought as he disappeared into the night.

* * *

 **Outside**

Daredevil gagged as he spit out the nasty murky water from his lungs. The radar sense that gave him his abilities returned and the sounds and smells disoriented him a little however through it all he managed to make out the sound of a familiar heartbeat and approaching feet. He sniffed the air and the familiar scent caught his attention as well.

"DD." Peter whispered as he came to him.

"What took you so long?" Daredevil responded, happy to see him back in action.

Peter's spider-sense came to life and he looked over to see Hydro-Man beginning to reform a few feet in front of them.

"DD, Cage, Fist, we gotta go the T-1000 is pulling himself together." Peter said.

* * *

Luke still trying to catch his breath heard the command.

"Who the hell is that guy?"

Peter began to pull Daredevil away from the slowly reforming Hydro-Man.

"Can you move a bit faster DD?"

"I almost died excuse me if I'm moving a bit slow."

Peter heard the sound of a motor along with screeching tires; he saw a car speeding heading right for him. Peter with Daredevil in tow dove out of the way just as the car came sliding into view. It swerved through the water on the ground until the back end slammed into the reforming Hydro-Man and dispersed his water once more.

The driver's side window rolled down and the Black Cat stuck her head out of the window.

"C'mon Spidey time to go."

"Who the hell is that?" Daredevil asked.

"She's our ride." Peter replied as he hoisted the weakened and bleeding DD up to his feet and opened the back door and helped him inside. He then rushed towards Luke and Iron Fist and helped them into the car as well. Peter gritted his teeth as his spider-sense alerted him to the hand that shot out of the water and tried to grab him, but he dodged it.

"HURRY UP!" Black Cat yelled as she saw more hands forming in the water.

Peter jumped out of the way of another hand trying to grab him and he slid across the hood of the car and to the passenger's side. He got into the car and the Black Cat stomped on the accelerator.

* * *

Hydro-Man's head reformed in the water and stared after the speeding vehicle.

"I heard his name. Spider-Man is in that car!" he exclaimed, "This is my chance."

The watery fiend gathered as much water as he could from the ground and from the nearby East River and formed himself into a giant tidal wave of water.

"SPIDER-MAN! GET BACK HERE!" Hydro-Man boomed as he zoomed after the car not caring that he smacked into buildings denting them or tossed cars five feet into the air.

* * *

Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of crime opened his eyes when he felt the ground rumbling. The last thing he remembered was begin hit with a trash can and passing out. The large man rolled over and he spotted a car zooming past him however his attention was drawn away from the car and to the giant tidal wave that had a man's face in the middle hanging in the distance.

The tidal wave began to move forward chasing after the vehicle. Fisk rolled to the side however he still felt himself being swept up in the wave of water.

The Prowler felt the ground beneath him shaking and as he came to a sitting position he saw a massive tidal wave heading right for him. He had just enough time to raise his hands and yell before he was knocked around by the water.

* * *

 **Inside the Factory**

Bullseye groaned to himself as he rolled over and into a sitting position. He looked around the destroyed factory and the foot of water that was beneath him.

"Didn't see this one coming." He said while spitting out some water.

The crazed assassin spotted Mr. Negative attempting to crawl from under an old printing machine that hand fallen on top of him when the water had drained from the inside.

"And for a moment I thought I had bad luck, heh, the Luck of the Irish I guess."

Bullseye picked himself off the soaking wet floor and he swayed over to the trapped Mr. Negative. When he reached him the smile on his face vanished as the make-up or paint dripped down Mr. Negative's face. It was a decoy.

* * *

Bullseye let out a dozen curses as he realized that the man trapped under the machine was not the real Mr. Negative. He kicked the man in the chest.

"WHERE IS NEGATIVE!"

"G-Go to hell. I will never t-tell you about my master." He replied.

Bullseye placed his foot on the man's exposed throat and with a hard jerk downward he crushed it which killed him instantly.

* * *

Sable rose to her feet and she looked around the destroyed factory, eyes searching for anyone that was still alive. She was oozing blood by the second. She felt dizzy and tired but she wouldn't fail Mr. Negative, not because she liked him or valued him in any way shape or form it was because if she failed him then she would be further away from her goal of finding a way to resurrect her father, Silvio Silvermane Manfredi.

Mr. Negative had resources that she didn't have thanks in part to her father sudden death. Anyone that was loyal to him left after his death and her failure against Vanessa had only weakened her power, however she was not without friends. Paladin, one of the remaining members of her Wild Pack stuck around and assured her that he would find the pieces needed to resurrect her father. In the meantime she had to be a good little soldier and do as she was told for Mr. Negative.

* * *

Sable saw that most of the inner demons and mercenaries were dead but the sound of loud cursing caught her attention. Bullseye was stomping the face of the decoy Mr. Negative in anger. She knew he must've found out that he wasn't the real deal, which brought her some joy. The injured woman looked around and she spotted a fallen gun inches away from her.

' _We lost Fisk but at least I can take him out.'_ She thought, while making a move but the second she reached for it she felt a pair of eyes upon her.

Sable's attention went back to Bullseye who had ceased his tirade and was staring directly at her.

"Don't even think about it girly." He said while his own eyes drifted to a throwing star sticking out the head of one of the inner demons on the ground. The two caught each other's eyes for another moment before they both lunged for their respective weapons. Sable grabbed her gun at the exact moment Bulleye ripped his throwing star out of the dead man's head and flung it at her. The throwing star was jammed into opening of the gun right as she pulled the trigger.

 **POW!**

* * *

"ARGHHHHHHHH!" Sable roared from the gun back-firing in her hand.

Bullseye let out a laugh but the laugh was silenced as he felt Hammerhead mercilessly ram into him. The flat headed cyborg then grabbed Bullseye by the front of his coat and proceeded to headbutt him over and over. After the fifth headbutt Hammerhead released his hold and turned his blood smeared face towards Sable.

"Sable, get your bony ass up and lets go before that water freak gets back!"

"Kill him!" Sable shouted as she fought her way to her feet.

"Bullseye is meaningless, we got something better." Hammerhead replied while pointing towards two inner demons that were carrying the partially burned and unconscious Owl.

Sable limped after Hammerhead and the inner demons as they quickly made their way away from the seen and back to the lair of their master Mr. Negative.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

 **SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECHHHHHHH!** Went the sound of the car full of the street level heroes swerving around a tight corner. The pedestrians on the sidewalks stared after the speeding car in wonder however their curiosity was settled when a giant tidal wave came speeding around the corner and knocked them all out of the way.

 **THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound ground shaking sound of the tidal wave of water as it slammed into the side of a building. The tight corners were very hard to get around however Hydro-Man would not let that stop him, nor did the screams of terror from down below.

"SPIDER-MAN!" Hydro-Man's voice boomed from the center of the tidal wave.

* * *

 **Inside the Car**

"In webs, out of webs, you're an all around popular guy. I'm glad you're back though."

"I'm not back. Where are you going?" Peter asked as he looked in the side view mirror and Hydro-Man who was gaining on them.

"Anywhere but here seems to be a good idea." Black Cat responded.

' _Spider-sense!'_ Peter thought urgently and before he even knew what he was doing he was grabbing the wheel and jerking it to right which allowed them to avoid a giant spike made of water.

The spike missed them speared three trucks that were driving down the street. Hydro-Man easily threw the cars away and then retracted the spike and continued after his enemies.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME I AM EVERYWHERE!" Hydro-Man yelled, and as the words left his mouth all of the fire hydrants close by exploded and the water that came shooting out curved through the air and added to the tidal wave making it bigger and stronger.

* * *

 **Inside the speeding car**

"Wait a minute. Spidey? As in Spider-Man?" Luke Cage questioned from his spot in the back, looking at Peter from the side "You're Spider-Man?"

"Yes." Black Cat answered.

"No." Peter corrected "I'm not. Spider-Man is dead."

"You look alive and well to me." Iron Fist chimed, "And you saved our butts and last time I checked dead people couldn't do that."

"It's was actually a team effort." Black Cat corrected, she didn't want to be left out of the glory of saving them.

"People Focus!" Daredevil shouted with pain evident in his voice "We have to get this guy off of our tail and lead him away from civilians. I hear them screaming and I even hear some dying."

"Easier said than done." Black Cat replied.

* * *

A fire-hydrant popped open and a fist made of water bashed into the siding of the car causing it to spin out of control all over the road.

Black Cat did her best to get the car back under control and once she finally did she found herself in the opposite lane. She banged on the horn as she swerved out of the way of oncoming traffic.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" she yelled while honking the horn.

"You're gonna get us killed girl!" Luke yelled from the back.

"STOP BEING A BACKSEAT DRIVER!"

* * *

Black Cat drove across the median and came onto the right side of the road again. Peter's spider sense buzzed and he spotted another fire hydrant popping and a spike made of water flying right towards them. He leaned away from the passenger side door as the spike made of water easily pierced the metal and then ripped the door off of it's hinges.

"TURN!" Peter shouted.

Black Cat attempted to take a hard turn when a wall of water suddenly came into view and cut them off. The wave bashed into cars and people throwing them in ever direction filling the air with more screams of terror.

She pushed on the pedal a little bit harder and tried to turn left when another wall of water flowed on the other side. The two walls of water trapped them in the middle of the road leading them straight ahead.

"You're heading for the bridge girl!" Luke yelled "There are hundreds of people on the bridge."

"I'm not heading anywhere that freaking water guy is leading us there."

* * *

Peter looked out of the windows and he saw the wall of water expanding on either side of them like a tunnel which was leading them straight ahead and towards the Brooklyn Bridge.

"You're right he is." Peter chimed.

"Why?" Iron Fist asked.

"Because the Bridge is over water." Peter replied as the Brooklyn Bridge came closer and closer.

"Ah hell." Iron Fist whispered.

* * *

 **Bridge**

Hydro-Man grinned as he felt the power from the river. He gathered his tidal wave of water and dove over the bridge and into the murky East River Water, hitting it with a loud splash.

* * *

The car drove onto the bridge and to their surprise the tunnel of water fell away leaving them with open road. Peter looked at the side view mirror and saw the tidal wave dive off of the bridge and into the water.

"Uh-Oh." He said before his spider-sense went into overdrive almost overwhelming him, "ARRGGGHHHHH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Black Cat asked however her answer came in the form of a massive hand made of water rising out of the East River and slamming down in the path of the car.

 **THOOM!** Came the sound.

* * *

She stomped her feet on the brakes and quickly shifted into reverse but she didn't get very far before another hand made of water slammed down behind them. The Brooklyn Bridge began to shake as the rest of the torso of a massive fifty foot tall Hydro-Man rose out of the river and looked at them.

" **Uh-Oh, looks like there's nowhere left to run.** " Hydro-Man's voice boomed.

The screams from the civilians on the bridge filled his ears and it only put a smile on his face. He loved the sound of screams, and he wanted to make them scream even louder. Hydro-Man opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of water that washed over the entire bridge which flooded it temporarily.

* * *

 **Inside the car**

Peter, Black Cat and the others spit out the water that had entered their car, all of them knew that Hydro-Man was merely playing with them.

"On a scale of one to ten how screwed are we?" Black Cat asked.

"Fifty." Peter, Daredevil, Luke and Iron Fist said at the same time.

"I was thinking the same thing." She said.

The car shuddered and jostled as Hydro-Man picked it up and brought it to his eye level. He shook the car violently knocking the heroes back and forth for a moment.

" **Spider-Man! Come out and Playaaa! No wait, I have a better idea. Any of you fu*** ever heard the story of Jonah and the whale.** " He said while beginning to bring the car towards his giant watery mouth.

* * *

"Ah crap he's going to swallow us." Peter said.

"Do something!" Black Cat shouted.

"Like What!" Peter shouted back, "I don't have any webs at the moment."

* * *

Iron Fist saw Hydro-Man's approaching mouth and so he turned to Luke.

"Luke I need an opening."

Luke spotted the look of concentration and determination written upon his face. He also saw his glowing hands which automatically told him what he was planning. Luke shoved his fist through the roof of the car and then pried it open giving Iron Fist the room he needed to climb through and to the outside.

"L-Luke…" Daredevil groaned before passing out.

Luke looked down at Daredevil and he saw the blood that was leaking out of the wound in his shoulder.

"Hang in there Murdock! I don't need you dying on me. We're almost out of this, Danny's got it under control."

* * *

 **Outside**

Iron Fist steadied himself on the roof of the car as he continued to gather more of his Chi which made both of his fist glow a vibrant golden hue. Iron Fist then began to channel all of his gathered chi into his right fist before running and leaping forward.

"EAT THIS!" Iron Fist yelled as he plunged his glowing fist into Hydro-Man's open mouth.

The giant Hydro-Man screamed as he felt Iron Fist funnel his chi into him boiling his water like he was struck by lightening. The pain was so intense that it prevented him from holding his form and like a stack of dominos he toppled over, releasing his hold on the car as well.

Iron Fist fell through the water and began to plummet towards the ground however before he hit he managed to grab to one of the support cables, however while he was safe he spotted the car with his friends inside as it continued down to the bridge.

"NO!" he shouted.

* * *

Peter, Black Cat, Daredevil and Luke gritted their teeth against the intense downward pull of gravity.

"HOLD ON, THIS IS GONNA BE ROUGH!" Peter yelled.

 **CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of their car hitting the bridge down below.

* * *

Peter felt his spider-sense come to life again and looking through the busted front window he saw Hydro-Man fall apart and his water come rushing towards them and everyone else on the bridge like a tsunami.

"Ah sh…." He started before the water smashed into the car and all the other cars on the bridge. The large rush of water knocked several cars towards the edge making them teeter dangerously. A dozen of cables snapped and made the bridge wobble and shaking violently.

The screams of the civilians echoed in the night.

* * *

 **Inside the car**

Peter cracked opened his eyes to a pool of bloody water beneath his face, for a moment he thought it was his blood until he heard Daredevil laying a few inches away groaning. The teen spotted the trail of blood leaking from his gunshot wound all the way to his face.

"DD." Peter said but there was no response "Matt, can you hear me?" he whispered.

Peter saw a hand feel Daredevil's neck and the motion was followed by a few curses.

"He's fading fast. We need to get him to the Night Nurse" Said Luke.

Peter maneuvered himself inside the car and he crawled out of the open passenger side door. He then helped the Black Cat out, Luke climbed out right behind her and together they pulled the injured Daredevil out. Luke hefted him over his shoulder and looked in the direction that would lead them towards Manhattan.

"Let's go." He said as he started to run.

* * *

Peter and Black Cat followed after him but in mid-run he felt his spider-sense nudge him to opposite side of the road where he spotted a car hanging precariously over the edge of the bridge. He could tell that his spider-sense was telling him that it was about to fall, but while his uncanny sixth sense was buzzing he could hear the screams from the family inside the car. He could see their faces through the broken window and the sheer terror that gripped them.

"HELP US!" they screamed.

He stared at them for a moment and in that brief second it looked like his Aunt, Gwen, and Harry reaching out for him.

"Help!" they screamed again.

* * *

Peter's spider-sense buzzed intensely as the car began to slip even more.

He moved without thinking, dashing away from Luke and Black Cat making his way to the car and managing to grab the front bumper as the thin metal railing gave way. He gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold the car from falling over.

' _Too….heavy.'_ He thought to himself, he could feel his strength beginning to wane again as well as his sticking abilities just like they did when he saved Eddie from failing 'W-What's wrong with me, I've lifted things heavier than a car, but now I can't…it's too….'

"PULL US UP!"

"I-I-I can't." he whispered to himself.

Peter's feet began to lose traction and he began to slip towards the edge which only made the car heavier.

"ARGH!" He yelled while feeling the strain in his back muscles, _'I'm slipping. I can't hold on much longer. Why is this happening?'_

As he struggled, the words of the mysterious woman filtered into his mind.

' _Who are you? Are you a man, a spider or are you Spider-Man?'_

"I-I don't….I'm not."

 _'Who are you?"_

"HELP!" the voices rang out again.

' _WHO ARE YOU!?'_

Peter continued to struggle and a new voice joined the other and it was a voice he would never forget.

" **You're a failure**."

He glanced to his left and he saw The Green Goblin standing there with Gwen's blood all over his hands.

" **This bridge is familiar isn't it? This is where your little girlfriend died; this is where you failed to save her, just like you're failing to save these ignorant people**."

Peter slipped to the edge just a little bit more.

" **That is all you're good for boy. Failure. Failure. Failure. Failure.** "

Peter slipped a little bit closer to the edge.

" **That's it boy just let them go. Let them die, so I can win again, HAHAHA! I told you, that I always win**."

Peter bared his teeth and looked away from the Green Goblin and to the car. He took a deep breath and he began to pull, determination filling the pit in his stomach.

"C'mon. C'mon. C'MON!" he yelled.

Peter's sliding feet came to a stop as they completely stuck to the ground; his grip tightened and his fingers stuck firmly. Peter's strength began to return and the car became lighter and lighter as the seconds ticked by. He pulled and pulled and before he knew it he was holding the car over his head.

* * *

 **Madame Webb's place**

Madame Webb clapped her hands as she watched Peter lifting the car over his head through her mirror of spiders.

"Well done, well done indeed, but the test is not over yet."

* * *

 **Brooklyn Bridge**

Peter gently set the car down on the street.

"Thank you." The family said to him.

He nodded his head, but then his spider-sense blared loudly and before he could act a fist made of water rose up from the puddle of water beneath him and back-handed him into the side of a white van. The family gasped as Hydro-Man emerged from the puddle. He turned to them and glared.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STARING AT!" he roared before putting his foot on the bumper and effortlessly shoving them off the edge of the bridge.

* * *

Hydro-Man stalked towards Peter as he started to pick himself up off the ground. Hydro-Man made a tendril of water appear out of the flooded ground and wrap around Peter's neck, hands and feet holding him secure.

Hydro-Man stood in front of him and his face contorted into that of anger as he saw the true face of his enemy.

"You're Spider-Man!" he exclaimed "You're that guy from the party who hit me with the fire extinguisher and from Lana's place. Well talk about killing two birds with one stone. I'll make this easy. You tell me where Lana and Tabitha are hiding and I promise to kill you quick…well not too quickly but I won't be mean about it. I won't inflate your lungs or pop your stomach like a balloon. It'll be like going to sleep."

"I-If I don't." Peter challenged.

"Then I'm going to find out what happens when you pull a leg off of a spider, and not only that but you seem to care about people. I wonder how much."

Hydro-Man turned his body to water while raising his hands in the air. Peter's spider-sense once again came alive as a dozen columns made of water emerged from the water around the bridge and towered over them, casting a large shadow in the moonlight. Peter watched as the columns twisted and twisted like a cyclone until the top halves turned into the head and torso of Hydro-Man; two of the Hydro-Men drifted towards the bridge and with their fist made of water struck it and made part of it collapse sending metal, cars and civilians to the river below.

"NOOO!" Peter shouted.

"The water gives me power and I have the power to kill everyone on this bridge if you don't talk."

* * *

The giant Hydro-Men began to laugh but it quickly died down when the recently destroyed portion of the bridge, the cars and civilians that were heading for the water suddenly glowed a red hue and halted in the air. Everything and everyone began to rise upwards in the air. The busted metal and bricks knitted itself together and the cars and civilians were gently placed back down on the ground free of any injuries.

The giant Hydro-Men looked up to see a beautiful brown haired woman, dressed in a dark red outfit descending from the sky.

"Who the hell are you?" one of the Hydro-Men boomed.

"I'm **the Scarlet Witch** and you need to cool off." She said while thrusting her hands forward.

A red glow formed around the giant Hydro-Men and each of them suddenly turned to solid blocks of frozen ice. Iron Man zoomed through the sky and delivered a repulsor blast the frozen blocks of ice which shattered upon impact.

* * *

Hydro-Man narrowed his eyes and turned back to Peter.

"Avengers. I guess I'll have to make this quick, where….." he started before he blinked and there was a young man dressed in a green costume with silver hair, hard blue eyes and a cock sure smirk upon his face standing there with Peter in his arms.

"What the hell?" Peter said as he as he looked at the green clad young man that had saved him.

"Speaking of quick." He said.

"Who are you?" Hydro-Man demanded.

" **Quicksilver.** And you my friend have been a bad mutant." He said

"I'm not a mutant and you're messing with something you don't understand!" Hydro-Man shouted.

"You'd be surprised at what I can comprehend." Quicksilver replied.

"Do you have to carry me bridal style?" Peter asked as his spider-sense came to life.

* * *

Hydro-Man thrusted his hand and in the split second it took for the water to hit Quicksilver with Peter in tow had already vanished.

"NO!" Hydro-Man roared as he turned around and spotted Quicksilver standing behind him only there was no Peter Parker in his arms anymore, "GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"

"You'll have to catch me first."

Hydro-Man held out his hand and massive wave of water emerged from either side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Quicksilver looked at the waves of water and then to the civilians still on the bridge. The water came crashing down however to him everything slowed to a crawl. The impossibly fast Avenger turned and zipped down the bridge grabbing as many civilians as he could and placing them at the edge of the bridge where the other Avengers had set up a blockade.

* * *

Peter blinked and he was standing at the edge of the Brooklyn Bridge surrounded by dozens of civilians who like him where wondering just what had happened. One moment he was facing Hydro-Man and the next he was out of harms way.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!"

Peter turned to see Captain America standing on the hood of a police car.

"IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY FASHION MOVE AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE AND FOLLOW THE WASP TO SAFETY!"

The Wasp grew to normal size a few feet in front of the crowd.

"Okay people follow me and don't look back." she said.

* * *

Peter felt a nudge from his spider-sense and he turned to see a wall of water come crashing down on the Brooklyn Bridge shaking it to its core. He stumbled a bit but continued to move forward.

Once he was on the street he felt his spider-sense nudge him again which directed him to a black SUV that came to a stop near his position. A mask-less Danny Rand leaned out the passenger side window and waved him over.

Peter moved towards the vehicle in spite of the Avengers rushing forward to battle the rampaging Hydro-Man who swiped a giant hand made of water across the bridge tossing dozens of cars and trucks into the air. He got inside and Luke slammed his foot on the gas driving away heading directly for the Night Nurse.

* * *

Hydro-Man swatted Iron Man away as the anger at once again losing Spider-Man began to sink into his mind. He was so close to exacting his revenge yet at the same time he was miles away.

He was close to wringing the whereabouts of his beloved Tabitha out of Spider-Man and then finally winning her back and showing her that he had actually done something with his life; that he had finally become someone to be respected and feared. All the things that she wanted out of him before his change.

Hydro-Man felt a repulsor blast go through his chest however the attack did nothing to stop him from reforming himself. He was about to retaliate when he spotted a news helicopter flying overhead and an idea formed in his mind.

 _'Fine. If I can't catch the bug and make him tell me where Tabby is then I'll get someone else to do it.'_ He thought to himself as he ran and jumped off the bridge and plunged himself back into the murky East River water below.

* * *

The water churned and bubbled before a sixty foot tall Hydro-Man emerged from down below and snagged the news helicopter.

" **I'm ready for my close up**."

The Camera man inside shakily raised his camera up to him.

" **Listen up New York. I am Hydro-Man. The Owl is the New Kingpin of New York. He is God and I'm his right hand or his left or whatever hand was used to flood the land in the bible. The First order of business is this, deliver Tabitha Smith, Lana Baumgartner and Spider-Man to me immediately. If my demands ain't met then I will drown a thousand people every hour on the hour. The clock is ticking people, and just to prove that I ain't joking…** "

He raised a hand and water fired out like a cannon barreling into the streets of Brooklyn, flooding building after building, and toppling a few over in the process. Hydro-Man cherished the screams he heard before turning back to the cameraman.

" **WELCOME TO WATERWORLD!** " he growled into the camera before crushing the helicopter in his giant watery hands.

* * *

 **End Chapter Read and Review:** **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 coming back at'cha with the closing comments. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I know it's been a minute since I've updated but that's only because I was trying to get ahead a few chapters. Anyway this chapter moved a few key plot points along I wonder how many people can spot them.**

 **I'm gonna keep the comments a bit short this time so I can get to the next chapter and the other updates I got coming your way. I know I keep saying that but I'm going to be updating my other stories soon. There is just not enough time in a day to get things done nor do I have more than two hands. I wish I had at least a dozen so I can update everything at the same time. LOL**

 **Please continue to read and review and then meet me back her next time. This is Nomad88 saying later….**

 **Next Up: Kingpin War: The Reign of Hydro-Man**

* * *

 **Summary: Hydro-Man battles the Heroes of New York; meanwhile the Owl and Mr. Negative meet for the first time and possible come to an understanding. Fisk regroups with Bullseye while Peter makes a decision about how he'll move forward with his life. Be there.**


	6. Kingpin War pt3: The Reign of Hydro-Man

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me NOmadd8 back again with another awesome and all new chapter in TSA: The Amazing Spider-Man volume 3. I hope everyone is enjoying the chapter and all the twist and turns and surprises that I've been giving you. I'm gonna stop talking and let you readers get to the chapter but before I go please remember to READ, REVIEW( A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Kingpin War part 3: The Reign Hydro-Man**

 **Then**

"You sure about this?" Morris Bench asked. The young man's voice had a small hint of fear but in spite of that he continued to let himself be led forward. The Owl gently grabbed him by the back of the neck and urged him towards the unmarked white van that had two burley masked men standing by it. They looked like men but their bodies were oversized and awkward.

"Yes, I'm sure." The Owl replied sternly "Listen to me Morris if you ever want to get revenge on your piss poor bastard of a father and if you want to woo this girl Tabitha then yes this is the only way. I've told you I brokered a deal. You volunteer for this experiment and you will have powers beyond your wildest dreams. So far I have never led you wrong and this will be no different."

"Who are these guys?" Morris asked.

"That's need to know Morris and you don't need to know." The Owl replied as the two of them came to a stop at the back of the van. The burly men stepped forward, their movements like that of a Gorilla.

"Is this the human?" one of the men asked in a deep almost animalistic voice.

"Yes." The Owl replied.

"The human?" Morris questioned but before he could say anything else the second burly gorilla like man raised his large fist and punched him in the face which knocked him out cold.

* * *

The Owl watched as the masked men threw Morris into the back of the van and closed the doors.

"When can I expect him back?"

"When we return in three days time, the master wanted us to thank you for finding such a willing volunteer."

"It wasn't hard." The Owl replied, "Will he be loyal to me."

"He will be Loyal enough. He will not want to leave your side however if he does, the master has ensured that he will provide a method to disarm him."

"Good." The Owl replied, "The last thing I want is him going rogue and leaving me high and dry."

* * *

 **Now**

The Owl growled and mumbled into the gag that was around his mouth as he struggled with the bonds around his hands. He banged his body against the insides of the trunks but it did nothing to open it. He could hear the screaming coming from outside but he could care less about it, the Owl knew if he didn't get free soon then he would no doubt be killed by whoever managed to get the drop on him. And while he was angry at his situation he was more upset and his so called enforcer, Hydro-Man.

The Owl snarled at the memory of how the men promised that he would be loyal however as of late Hydro-Man's loyalty had been something worthy of debate.

' _I have to get free first, and then I'll worry about Morris and his abandonment.'_ He thought to himself while he continued to struggle.

* * *

The screams outside only grew louder before he suddenly felt something smack into the car he was inside. The vehicle violently shuddered and then was lifted into the air and tossed about until it landed upside down. The trunk flew open allowing the bound and gagged Owl to tumble out and onto the soaking wet pavement. He rolled along the ground and he sat up to see dozens of Hydro-Men running amok destroying everything in their sight and in the distance he could see three giant Hydro-Man standing over the Brooklyn Bridge trying swat Iron Man out of the sky.

The Hydro-Men down below fired streams of water through their arms that slammed into civilians and building causing nothing but mayhem and destruction and as the Owl sat there taking everything in a small twinge of fear crept into his soul as he saw the chaos that he had unleashed.

* * *

He felt a wet hand on his shoulder and so he turned to see Morris Bench aka Hydro-Man standing behind him.

"Finally I found you." He said.

The fear that crept into him was washed away and anger took hold. Hydro-Man quickly undid his bounds and took the gag out of his mouth.

"Why did you leave me to begin with!" The Owl snapped as soon as he was able to talk.

"I saw Spider-Man and I had to chase after him, and I know who he is under the mask." Said Hydro-Man

"Who is he?" The Owl Asked.

* * *

Hydro-Man opened his mouth to respond when he realized that even though he saw the man underneath the mask he didn't know his name.

"He's…some white guy I met at a party."

"I thought you knew him."

"I do but I don't know his name alright just his face. I'll know him when I see him."

"So you didn't kill him?" the Owl asked.

"No. He got away thanks to the Avengers, but I'm kicking the crap out them so I guess it evens out." Hydro-Man replied while pointing to his giant watery form in the distance.

* * *

 **Bridge**

Iron Man zoomed through the sky avoiding the giant watery hands of the Hydro-Men in the river that were trying to kill him. He dipped under one finger and blasted another finger into specs of water, but it reformed as if nothing had happened.

"I've hit this guy with everything and nothing seems to work." Iron man said through the communications line, "We have to lead him away from the water but considering Manhattan is an island I don't see that happening."

* * *

 **Down Below**

Captain America, The Wasp, and Quicksilver battled several normal sized Hydro-Men that flooded the Brooklyn Bridge. Cap threw his shield which barreled through three hydro-men before ricocheting off a car door and back into his hands.

The Wasp shrunk to ant size and dodged a stream of water before flying straight at the Hydro-Man that fired at her. She reared her hands back and unleashed a power stinger blast that dispersed his water everywhere. She cured up and looked at the two other Hydro-Men that took the place of the one she destroyed.

"Stark is right Cap, we're fighting a loosing battle we have to lead him…." She started.

"Where?" Captain America interrupted as he braced himself and his shield against a massive fist made of water, "Where can we lead him to where there will be no more civilian casualties. We're surrounded by two of the most heavily populated burrows so we can't lead him anywhere. The best thing we can do is contain the fighting here until we can find a way to take this guy down."

" _That might be easier said than done Cap."_ Came Maria Hill's voice over the line.

* * *

Cap looked up to see a few Shield Helicarriers flying into view. A small smile found its way to his mouth however it was quickly wiped away as two more giant Hydro-Men emerged from the water.

" **BRING ME TABITHA!** " One of them shouted while swiping at two of the helicarriers.

" **BRING ME LANA!** " the other one screamed while bringing one of it's massive fist down onto the Manhattan street.

" **BRING US SPIDER-MAN!** " they all yelled simultaneously.

* * *

 **Up Above- Hellicarrier**

"Spider-Man. Spider-Man. Spider-Man. I f***** hate that guy. He's nowhere to be found and he's got us cleaning up his messes. It's Galactus all over again." Maria whispered to herself as she flipped a flipped a few controls and let loosed two powerful cannon lasers that ripped through one of the giant Hydro-Men that was standing in East River. She quickly had to enact evasive maneuvers as one of the other Hydro-Men took a swipe at her.

"The plan to contain this jag-off in the east river is moot at this point Cap. We're getting reports from all over Brooklyn and Manhattan of smaller Hydro-Men destroying everything and endangering civilians. Apparently he's searching for Tabitha and Lana, whoever the f*** they are. We've got S.H.I.E.L.D boots on the ground but it's not enough."

" _We need more man power. Where are the Fantastic Four?"_ Captain America asked.

" _We're right here Captain."_ Came Reed's voice over the line.

* * *

Maria looked out the viewing screen of the Helicarrier to see the Fantasti-Car and Johnny Storm flying towards the East river.

"Nice of you finally join us." Said Maria, "Richards, I hope you have a plan or something smart because Stark has got nothing. He's been coming up a bit short lately. All that over compensating is finally starting to wear thin."

* * *

 **East River**

"It's any man's guess as to why you're still single Hill, especially with that winning personality." Iron Man retorted sarcastically while flying next to the Fantasti-Car, "Dr. Richards."

"Mr. Stark."

"I've been trying to devise a way to defeat this guy but so far nothing has come to mind."

"From my reading, he's emitting some kind of radiation field that I have never seen before. And this radiation has completely saturated the entire East River."

"Is it harmful to us?" Sue asked while throwing up a force field that blocked a powerful stream of water that was directed at them. She struggled for a moment however the shield held strong.

"There doesn't appear to be any significant threat to us." Reed replied.

* * *

The Hydro-Man in front of them formed a bat made of water and swung it at Sue's force field and sent them careening through the air for a moment.

"NOT A THREAT TO US! GUESS AGAIN EGGHEAD!" Ben shouted while turning on the reverse thrusters.

Johnny from his position flew down and putting his hands together unleashed his fire upon the Hydro-Man that attacked his team.

"I'll keep this guy busy; you guys do the science thing!" He shouted.

* * *

 **Fantasti-Car**

"The radiation itself is what I meant Ben. However, from my readings it appears that this radiation field Hydro-Man is controlling is stretching all over the east river."

"And that means he literally has control over the entire river." Said Iron Man.

"And that's not all, If we don't find a way to stop him he'll soon have total control over every molecule of water in New York. I've never seen anything like this it's remarkable."

"FOCUS ON FINDING A WAY TO REVERSE IT REED!" Sue yelled while straining against the immense pressure of water Hydro-Man was exerting against her shield.

"I don't know if there is a way to reverse it Susan." He replied.

"So we're pretty much screwed then?" Ben asked.

"Sounds like it big guy. Oh Crap." Iron Man said just as Sue's shield gave away and a blast of water slammed into all of them.

* * *

 **Down Below: Brooklyn Bridge**

Captain America grunted as he felt a watery fist strike him in the stomach. He was being held by two human sized Hydro-Men while one stood in front of him punching him over and over.

"I've always wondered. If I could kick your ass. Heh, now I know." He said as he punched Cap in the face, sending specs of blood flying to the side.

* * *

 **Brooklyn**

"HAHAHA!" Hydro-Man prime laughed as he looked towards the Owl, "I'm kicking the crap out of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. I'm invincible!"

"How are you doing this?" The Owl asked "I've never seen you use this kind of power before."

"I've never been this motivated before." Hydro-Man replied "And it's one of things I've been meaning to tell you. My powers….they've been growing this past year. All the kill assignments you've been sending me on have kinda been training runs and now training is over and it's the big show. And what a show it is."

"You've been keeping secrets from me Morris." The Owl returned, "I don't like that." He said in a low voice, letting his hand drift towards the pocket with the vial of liquid that could disarm his most powerful enforcer.

Hydro-Man shrugged his shoulders.

"We all have our secrets Olswly."

He was about to respond when he saw Sable, Hammerhead and the remaining inner demons claw their way out of the crumbled car. He spotted them and his face contorted in that of anger.

"We'll continue this conversation later but for now bring them to me."

* * *

Hydro-Man turned to Mister Negative's people and he raised his hand and turned his fingers to thick tendrils of water that fired out and yanked them forward. The Owl stepped to the beaten and bleeding Sable and grabbed her by the front of her blood soaked outfit.

"WHERE IS NEGATIVE!?"

"We will never reveal the master's location!" An inner demon beside her shouted.

* * *

Hydro-Man smirked and tightened his hold upon the man that spoke. He tightened and sharpened the tendril of water until the man screams turned into a wet gurgle as he was mercilessly sliced in half.

Sable averted her eyes as a few specs of blood splashed across her face. She turned her eyes to the Owl who slapped her bloody face.

"TALK!"

Sable remained silent which only angered the Owl.

"KILL ANOTHER ONE!" the Owl shouted at Hydro-Man.

Hydro-Man prepared to rip a woman inner demon in half when she screamed for him to stop.

"NO!" she shouted "I'll tell you."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Hammerhead yelled while struggling in Hydro-Man's strong grip.

"The Master hides in Chinatown beneath the Python Night club, please spare my life."

Hammerhead roared in fury while The Owl chuckled.

"Python Night club, thank you. Kill her, actually kill all of them. I have no use for them."

* * *

Hydro-Man prepared to carry out the order when a powerful sensation of pain channeled down through his entire body. He and all the other Hydro-Men on the street screamed at the top of their lungs before turning into puddles of water on the ground.

"Morris!" The Owl yelled.

* * *

Hammerhead, Sable and the remaining Inner demons were released. Hammerhead got his bearings and immediately charged for the Owl and hit him square in the stomach with his flat adamantium laced skull. The female inner demon that betrayed Mister Negative gasped as she felt four electrified knives plunged deep into her chest courtesy of her fellow inner demons.

"No one betrays the Master." One of them whispered while twisting the knife causing her to let out one final gasp before collapsing dead on the street.

* * *

Sable could feel herself becoming woozy due to the blood loss however she forced herself to stay awake.

"We need to leave!" she shouted, "Before that water freak gets back up!"

Her shouting went unheard by Hammerhead who was head-butting the Owl in the face.

"STOP YOU IDIOT!" she screamed.

* * *

At that moment a shadow passed over her and she looked up to see a flying man that wore a red and white costume with a red winged harness strapped around his chest and back which gave him the ability to fly. He had brown skin and a serious expression etched upon his handsome face.

The flying man straightened his arms out in front of him and flew straight towards Hammerhead and kicked him in the back sending him skidding along the ground. He then landed on the ground standing over the beaten Owl.

Sable gritted her teeth as she recognized the man.

"Falcon." She whispered while fighting to stand to her feet.

* * *

Sam Wilson, aka **The Falcon** as he was known to the people of Brooklyn looked at Hammerhead and then to Sable as well as the Inner demons.

"I thought I made it clear to Mister Negative that Brooklyn is off limits. Brooklyn belongs to me and you scumbags aren't welcome."

Sable secretly reached for a small blade hidden near her ankle.

"You seem to think…we take orders from you." She said before throwing the blade.

* * *

A screech from the sky above was heard before a flash of feathers zoomed down and snagged the blade out of the air. The Falcon held out his arm as his pet Falcon **Redwing** landed on his forearm and placed the blade into his open palm.

"Thanks pal." He said.

"Brooklyn belongs to you." Came a gurgled response, "Brook-lyn doesn't belong to you it belongs to me." Said the Owl while spitting out blood and a few teeth from his mouth.

"I'm the Owl and I run…"

The Falcon kicked him in the face.

"I know you are and I'm taking all of you in."

* * *

 **RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEE!** Went the sound of the ground shaking uncontrollably, before the water on the ground formed into a cannon and fired several solid balls of water at the Falcon, Hammerhead, Sable and the Inner Demons. Each ball of water hit their mark and sent its target flying.

A hand made of water formed under the Owl and rose high up into the air and to a nearby roof.

* * *

 **Roof**

Hydro-Man pulled himself together and put his hands onto his head.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" The Owl spat.

"I don't know…..one of the Avengers is doing something weird to me." He said while pointing to the bridge.

* * *

 **Bridge**

Warbird dove downward through the air and zapped two of the Hydro-Men that were down below with her cosmic/kree photon blasts and with every hit they exploded in a show of water and fire.

" _What the hell are you doing to these guys Danvers?_ " Iron Man asked from their shared comms.

"I have no idea. You're the scientist you tell me." She replied as she fired another photon blast.

" _Futurist_." Iron Man corrected, " _Reed you got any ideas_."

" _Ms. Danvers' cosmic and Kree abilities seem to be able to disrupt the radiation that's being emitted from this Hydro-Man character. I wonder if possible we could harness that…_."

Warbird saw a shadow form over her and she had to gasp as a one of the giant Hydro-Men brought its fist down on top of her. The fist plowed into her and the bridge, breaking it in half as it continued to the bottom of the river.

* * *

Captain America grabbed onto a piece of railing just as the street beneath his feet tilted downward sending every single car that was in the vicinity plunging into the murky water below.

"AHHHHH!" The Wasp screamed as she fell downward.

A flash of blue and she was suddenly in Quicksilver's arms. He looked forward and saw his sister the Scarlet Witch levitating several cars in the air which allowed him to use his speed to run along each of them and back up to the remaining portion of the Brooklyn Bridge.

* * *

 **Across the Bay- Roof**

"I think that did her in." Hydro-Man said before he felt the Owl grip his shoulder and spin him around.

"I don't care about the Avengers! All I care about right now is Fisk and Negative. You already let Fisk get away because of your obsession with Spider-Man, don't let Negative get away too."

"Fine. Where is he again?"

"Chinatown. Python Night club."

Hydro-Man turned but the Owl stopped him again.

"I want to be there when you do it, so take me with you. And no mistakes this time Morris."

"You know I hate it when you call me that. My name is Hydro-Man."

Hydro-Man called to all the water from the pipes in the area. The Owl watched as a giant platform made of water smashed through the roof they were standing on and rose high into the air. The platform extended outwards upon command and became a bridge of water that stretched from the streets of Brooklyn to the streets of Lower Manhattan.

* * *

As he was walking along the bridge the Owl got a clear view of the battle between the giant Hydro-Men and the Avengers, Shield and the Fantastic Four. It was a spectacle to behold. The Avengers did their best to fight him but another Hydro-Man rose from out of the water.

The Owl swallowed hard and turned his eyes back to the true Hydro-Man that walked in front of him.

' _He really is getting powerful. I wonder how long before he turns against me. It's inevitable that he will.'_ He thought to himself _'If he can fight them my guess is it won't be long but the moment he does I have a special surprise for him.'_

The Owl gently touched the vial that was still tucked safely in his pocket, and while they made their way to Manhattan neither the Owl nor Hydro-Man saw Redwing following after them.

* * *

 **Elsewhere- Subway tunnel- Brooklyn**

Bullseye gently set Fisk against the beaten tile wall and then collapsed down in the spot next to him. The crazed Assassin took off his boots and poured out the dirty blood tinged water that was inside.

"Well this didn't exactly go as planned." Bullseye said "Seriously. I mean seriously what the f***."

Fisk spit out some of the water that was still in his mouth.

"The world is changing Bullseye." He said after a long minute "The streets are changing. I used to think that that some jackass walking up behind me with a gun and putting my lights out was the only thing I had to worry about when I was ruling things but now. What harm could an army of men with guns do against a freak who can control water or against a blind man that has the ability to see better than I can."

"Or against an a self-righteous asshole with impenetrable skin or a white guy who thinks he's Asian but can turn his fist to steel."

"And what hope do any of them have against a guy in a mask that can stick to walls."

* * *

Bullseye turned to Fisk and narrowed his eyes a bit.

"The bug is gone."

"But he isn't." Fisk replied with a stoic expression, "Spider-Man is back. And if that wasn't him that attacked me earlier then he'll be back eventually. I know it. I can feel it with every fiber of my being. Until I see him and they other dead at my feet with their blood on my hands they'll all keep coming back to ruin everything."

"And we'll be ready."

"No. We need to be more than ready, and the only way to do that is if we get some freaks on our side, because that's the name of the game now isn't it. Who's got the biggest freak wins the war, the Avenges got'em, so does the Fantastic Four so I should get a few of my own."

"It sounds like you've got something in mind?" Bullseye asked.

Fisk let a large grin crossed his blood soaked face.

"Always."

* * *

 **Chinatown-Python Night Club**

Mister Negative calmly sipped upon the sake in his small cup, patiently waiting for his subordinates to call him with the news of the demise of his enemies. He had been wondering what was taking so long but the news of the Avengers battling a water monster was enough to appease his impatience in the beginning. He assumed that they were being delayed because of that however his patience was wearing thin.

' _Any moment now Hammerhead will call with news.'_ He thought to himself.

 **THUD! THUD! THUD!**

* * *

Mister Negative felt the ground beneath him shaking. He narrowed his eyes in curiosity as the screams from the people in his nightclub found its way to his ears.

 **THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of a giant column of water bursting through the floor above him and right next to him sending the wanabe Kingpin flying to the side.

The column of water split open revealing the Owl and Hydro-Man.

Mister Negative regained his composer and stood up to face them.

"Negative, we meet for the first time and for the last time. Kill him!" the Owl commanded.

Mister Negative spotted his black sword a few inches away and without question he dove for it narrowly avoiding the spike made of water that came firing out of Hydro-Man's chest. He grabbed his weapon and charged it with his strange photo-negative electricity and sliced the offending spike in half.

* * *

The photo-negative charge traveled along the water and sent a large jolt through Hydro-Man.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared in pain.

Mister Negative leaped high into the air and came down with is blade and sliced Hydro-Man in half rendering him to a puddle of electrified water on the ground. The Owl backed away from him however Mister Negative was faster than he anticipated and was able to tag him with a solid blow to the face that shattered his nose.

"Did you really think you could walk into my house and challenge me?" He asked dangerously.

Mister kicked him in the stomach and sent the Owl skidding along the ground like a rag-doll.

"I am the Kingpin." He said while slowly stalking towards the other Kingpin wannabe.

* * *

Mister Negative grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and flung him across the room and into the wall leaving a small dent in the thick wood. He then cracked his neck and turned his attention to the still sizzling puddle of water.

"This is your most valued enforcer, the man of water that I've been hearing so much about. I think he should serve a better master, so I must thank you for bringing him to me Owl, with his help I will bring order to this city and soon the entire east coast and finally my true home."

Mister Negative grinned as he charged his fingers with his mysterious photo-negative energy and he carefully lowered the digits down into the puddle of water. He began to charge the water watching with mild interest as it took on a very dark shade of blue.

"My reign begi…." He started to say when a screech from up above caught his ears.

Redwing dove through the air and used its sharp talons to claw Mister Negative in the face.

* * *

Mister Negative gritted his teeth and snatched Redwing off of his face and threw the animal away. He felt the long scratch across his face and for a moment he concentrated and allowed it heal.

* * *

In the moments that he took his eyes away from Hydro-Man the watery villain began to pull himself back together. As each molecule of water knitted he felt energized, even more powerful than he felt before.

Mister Negative saw him rising and charged his fingers again getting ready to use his unique abilities against the watery fiend however Hydro-Man grabbed the outstretched hand stopping it.

"Release me! I command you, your Kingpin commands you." Mister Negative stated.

Hydro-Man laughed evilly while shaking his head.

"No." he said before launching Mister Negative in the air.

 **SMMMMMMMMMASHHHHHH!** Came the sound of his going through the ceiling and through the glass window of his nightclub and bouncing into the water soaked streets of Chinatown.

* * *

 **Street**

Mister Negative groaned to himself as he managed to roll over onto his side. It had been a long time since an enemy had caused him physical pain. He had thought since his transformation he was impervious to the feeling but apparently he was not.

 **BAMMMMMMMMMMM!** Went the sound of the entire nightclub going up in a shower of water, wood and bricks.

* * *

Mister Negative looked up to see the dark shaded Hydro-Man towering over him and everyone else on the street.

"NO ONE COMMANDS ME ANYMORE!" he boomed while raising one of his watery hands.

Mister Negative heard rumbling from behind him and he looked to see all of the fire hydrants down the street violently shaking before exploding upwards and releasing high pressured water up into the air. Each hydrant within the blocks surrounding Chinatown turned themselves into a version of Hydro-Man with his dark blue hue and personality. The Hydro-Men stomped away from their hydrants and began to wreck havoc upon the surrounding buildings.

" **I AM KINGPIN AND IT'S TIME FOR THE REIGN OF HYDRO-MAN!** " the original Hydro-Man yelled while raising his hand, " **AND NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP ME!** "

Mister Negative rolled out of the way as a giant fist came down in the spot he was previously occupying.

* * *

 **Hell's Kitchen- Night Nurse- Roof**

Peter leaned on the edge of the roof as he looked out towards downtown. He could see the Hydro-Men in the distance and hear the screams from the civilians. The teen gripped the bricks in front of him tightly and it began to crack slightly from the pressure but as quickly as his tight grip came, he relaxed and took a step back.

"What am I supposed to do?" he whispered to himself.

" _Fight dear boy. You fight."_ Came the voice of the mysterious woman.

"I'm not that person anymore. I keep telling you that."

" _You know that's a lie. You proved that twice tonight by saving your allies and those people on the bridge. You keep saying your not that person but just who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"_

"I'm not trying to convince anyone, I'm stating fact. And those are isolated incidents."

" _They need Spider-Man."_

"No, they don't."

" _OPEN YOUR EYES!"_ she shouted, " _LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING! THEY NEED ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET! YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO STOP? DO YOU THINK HE WILL JUST GET BORED AND GO AWAY? NO! HE WILL KILL AND KILL UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT! YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!_ "

* * *

Peter grimaced at the loudness and urgency of her voice in his mind. He knew she was right and a part of him wanted to jump off the edge of the roof and rush back into the thick of things like he used to but he was rooted in his spot, still chained by the guilt he still felt at the death of his Aunt and Gwen.

"I-I-I can't." he said solemnly.

" _Then all is lost Mr. Parker."_

"The Avengers or the Fantastic Four will find a way." He said.

" _No, they won't_."

Peter let out a yell.

"Why are you putting all of this on my shoulders!? Whoever you are, why are you doing this to me!?"

" _Because. You. Are._ _ **Spider-Man**_."

* * *

The ground beneath him violently shook as a building in the distance toppled over thanks to Hydro-Man. Peter gritted his teeth as the screams intensified and the watery villains laughing boomed through the sky.

"Damn it All." Peter whispered to himself.

* * *

 **BAMMMM!** Came the sound of the door behind him opening. He heard the footsteps of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Black Cat as they rushing to the edge.

"Christ in heaven." Said Iron Fist.

"Oh we are royally screwed." Said Black Cat.

Peter balled up a fist.

"We have to do something." Luke chimed.

Black Cat scoffed

"Like what, roll over and die."

"No." said Peter, "We Fight. Everyone gear up and meet me downstairs."

* * *

 **Across the World- Somewhere in the European Mountains**

Hidden deep within the Mountain Alps of a long forgotten place known as Wundergore was a massive technologically advanced city. The pristine city gleamed under the artificial sun that hung overhead. Its inhabitants were all humanoid but they were not human. The people were mixed breeds of all different types of animals from various parts of the vast animal kingdom. Ape men and women walked hand in hand. Lions and Zebras talked as if they were old friends and bird-men zoomed through the air.

There was peace and harmony among the people and they all had their master and Lord to thank. A loud horn sounded in the distance and every creature stopped what they were doing and turned towards the far tower to the left where their Lord and Master resided. They then dropped to their knees and began to pray to him, Lord High Evolutionary.

* * *

 **The Tower**

 **Lord High Evolutionary** stared through his large window and at his subjects who were all praying to him. He gave them life and provided them with the world in which they live so to him it was what he deserved. He deserved their prayers. A smile appeared on his cybernetic armored face.

"My Lord!"

Lord High Evolutionary turned his attention to one his most trust Ape men as he bowed and lowered his head.

"What is it?" he asked, "Has the rebel base been found."

"No my Lord. The Rebels are still at large but that is not why I have come to you. Our sensors have alerted us to one your creations in the untamed lands. The power he has amassed is incredible."

"Which experiment?"

"Experiment 245."

"Ah, yes….Mr. Bench." Said Lord High Evolutionary "Where is he now?"

"New York City."

"Gather a small team and get me a sample. I want to see the extent of the mist's power. And if it proves to be useful, then we shall wage war for it."

"Yes sir."

Lord High Evolutionary watched the ape man scurry out of his sight and once he was gone he turned back to his loyal subjects.

"Soon, the outside world will evolve as well and they too will bow in worship to me."

* * *

 **Elsewhere: Location Unknown**

 **THOOOOOOOM!** went the sound of two double doors being thrown open. A young woman with red skin and fish like gills on her neck came running into the lavish throne room. She spotted two people, her King and Queen.

"My King! My Queen! I have urgent news there…" she started before several thick tendrils of red hair fired forward and grabbed her.

"Calm yourself." Came the soothing soft voice of the Queen.

* * *

The red skinned girl felt herself being gently set before them; she took a deep breath and continued in a slow and even pace.

"My apologies **Queen Medusa**." She said before turning her attention to her silent King, the honorable and powerful **Black Bolt** , "My Lord we have just interpreted a signal from the Terrigen Mist in the outside world."

"From the outside world? It's no doubt the portion of mist that was stolen from us." Said Medusa.

"Yes." She replied.

Black Bolt said nothing as he looked to his Queen. She read the hard expression upon his face and turned back to the fish gilled woman.

"Where is the signal from Terrigen Mist coming from?" she asked.

"New York City."

"The thieves must be in this New York City." Medusa said to Black Bolt who linked his hands together in a contemplative manner.

After a long second he turned to his Queen and nodded his head to which she returned.

"Miza. Our King has spoken, prepare the science team and tell all of our generals to meet us in the war room. This slight against our people shall not go unpunished. We shall reveal ourselves to the outside world and if they should not reveal the thieves and bring them to us then we shall go to war."

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review:** **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. First off I know that I've been gone for a little minute and I apologize for that. I had a few things on my end that have kept me tied down. I really hope that this chapter was worth the long wait.**

 **I'm going to try my best to prevent another long wait like that from happening again. I'm gonna keep this update short so I can get to the next chapter which will not be a month away lol. Again I hope this chapter was worth the wait and if you have any questions, comments, rants, or raves please leave it in the review or hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying later…..**

 **Ps: I'm currently working on the next chapter to Batman Beyond Volume 2 and I will be updating that story soon, so be on the look out. I am Nomad88 and this is me saying later…**

 **Next Up: Kingpin War: End of the Kingpin.**

* * *

 **Summary: Peter and his allies rally together to take down the all powerful and ' _Negatively_ ' charged Hydro-Man who has declared himself Kingpin. Mister Negative and The Owl do their best to stay alive against the onslaught and heroes while Fisk and Bullseye run into an old enemy. Each Kingpin meets their end or do they? Be there to find out! **


	7. Kingpin War pt 4: End of the Kingpin

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey all it's me Nomad88 and I'm back again with a brand new chapter in my ever expanding Spider-Man universe. I know I've been gone for a minute but I'm back. We're not moving into the final Hydro-Man arc and do trust he won't go down without a fight lol. I've don enough talking but I'll leave you with this please continue to Read, REVIEW ( A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Kingpin War part Four: End of the Kingpin**

 **Hell's Kitchen**

"Gear up? Gear up for what, we can't fight that guy he's made of freaking water if you hadn't noticed!" Black Cat exclaimed in Peter's face.

"I noticed Cat, but there has to be a way to take him down." He said.

"When there's a will there's a way." Iron Fist commented.

"Amen to that." said Luke.

* * *

Black Cat scoffed at all three of them.

"You guys are serious? You want to go fight that guy after we barely escaped him the last time. I say we cut our losses and get the f*** out of dodge. I know this awesome beach that's off the coast of Jamaica." She said.

"Jamaica?" Peter returned "He's made of water remember and correct me if I'm wrong but isn't half the world covered in water. He's getting more powerful by the minute so even if you left for your beach off the coast it would only be a matter of time before he followed."

"And I'll just keep moving." She returned quickly "You really want to throw your life away? And for what? A thank you you'll never get. Since you've been gone I've tried the hero thing and it sucks. I've got aches and pains in places I didn't even know I had, people are jerks, not to mention idiots and…"

"Cat." He interrupted, "It is never about getting a thank you out of the deal or any kind of reward. It's about doing what's right because it's right." Said Peter

"Careful that kinda sounded like Spider-Man talking." Said Luke while glancing in his direction, "And here I thought he was gone."

"He is gone. You're just hearing the words of a concerned citizen of New York." Peter replied in a low tone.

Luke and Iron Fist shook their heads as they both turned and headed for the door.

"Well Mr. concerned we'll be downstairs waiting, but you and your girlfriend need to hurry up and finish this lovers spat. We got work to do." Said Iron Fist.

* * *

"Girlfriend?" Black Cat scoffed "He should be so lucky."

Peter ignored her as he watched the two of them go. He could still hear the brief exchange of words between him and Luke ringing through his mind and for a moment he wanted to believe that he had been lying when he said that Spider-Man was gone. He had already made up his mind to help with this particular crisis, and do something against the seemingly all powerful Hydro-Man but he had not decided on putting on the red and blue costume again. He couldn't and he wouldn't.

' _I can't wear that costume.'_ He thought to himself, _'I can't, but something has to be done about Hydro-Man, that much is obvious but the question is what."_

* * *

Black Cat shook her head and made her way to the edge of the roof where she effortlessly hopped on the ledge.

"You guys can go and kill yourselves for all I care but not me. I've done my hero bit for the day and I quit." She said.

"Cat you can't quit at least not yet, I need your help." Said Peter

"With what? I'm a thief, if you need to steal something then I'm your girl but fighting the good fight is not my thing. So sorry spider, I'm gone." She replied

"You said you've been doing the hero thing since I've been gone. I'm a bit surprised."

"Yeah so am I. I tried my hand at it and I hated it, so I'm not all that eager to do it again." she said

"Fine, but I need your mind for a minute. What's going on out there? How did all of this happen?" he asked.

"Since Vanessa Fisk declared anarchy and was subsequently killed shortly after there's been a power vacuum in the underworld; three sides vying for power while everyone else is either chasing their own ends or stuck in the middle. Wilson Fisk…."

"I can't believe he's out of jail. I gave the cops everything they needed to lock him up for forever and a day and he's still out and still killing." Said Peter.

"Welcome to the real world spider where the good guys lose and the bad guys don't stay locked up." Came Black Cat's cynical response.

* * *

Peter ignored her comment but urged her to keep going.

"Anyway with Fisk running around the other two wannabe Kingpins didn't like it and so it's been war. The Kingpin War, that's what they're calling it. It is seriously cramping my style because not even a thief can make an honest living on these toxic streets."

"So who does Hydro-Man work for?" Peter asked.

"They say he's a hitman for the Owl."

"Okay, we know the who and the why. If we find the Owl then maybe we can find a way to stop Hydro-Man, but it's a longshot." He said.

"More like a hail Mary." Black Cat corrected.

"Whatever it is, it's the only thing we've got." he said.

* * *

Peter turned away from her and he started walking towards the stairs that would lead him down below. He quickly surmised that if Hydro-Man was working for the Owl then the Owl must have someway to control him or at least reason with him. If they could find out how then they could use it to defeat him.

The Black Cat remained perched on the ledge as he walked away leaving her alone with her thoughts. She wanted to jump over and run away but seeing Peter, Luke and Iron Fist marching off into certain death sent a feeling of cowardice down her spine. She hated the heroic streak she had started to take however deep down; there was a small part, a very small part of her that actually liked helping people.

She felt the ground beneath her shudder and she looked out into the darkened distance and at the out of control Hydro-Man. The screams in the night filling her ears.

"Damn it all." She scoffed "Wait for me!" she shouted as she stepped off the ledge and ran after Peter.

* * *

 **East River**

Johnny threw a fireball that smacked one of the giant Hydro-men in the face but it only did a minimal amount of damage. The watery fiend took another swing but the teen dipped low and flew under it. He flew low towards the water that still remained in the river and he started to unleash several streams of fire at the feet of the giant villain. He wobbled for a moment before the water reformed.

"OH COME ON!" Johnny shouted as he barreled rolled out of the way of a hand made of water that tried to grab him, "HOW THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BEAT THIS GUY!"

* * *

 **In the Air**

Warbird unleashed a powerful blast of photon energy that made the Hydro-Man she was facing scream in agony. The giant villain dispersed however another took its place and punched her, sending her flying backward and into the awaiting arms of Ben Grimm.

"I gotcha doll." He said.

Warbird shook the water out of her face and hair.

"Don't call me doll." She replied.

* * *

A thin blue force field appeared in front of her and Ben just as a massive axe made of water was about to come down upon the two of them. The axe rose up again and came down even harder but thankfully Sue's force field held strong.

Reed's head stretched into Warbird's view.

"Hello Ms. Danvers you are just the person I needed to see. It seems your abilities harm this Hydro-Man more than anyone else and so I was wondering if you'd be willing to lend some of your powers to the Fantasti-Car." said Reed.

"Anything to get this guy under control." She replied.

The Fantasti-Car with the rest of Reed's body drifted into view and connected to Ben's. A port on the side of The Thing's vehicle opened and a silver rod emerged. Another rod emerged from the side of Reed's vehicle and both found its way in front of Warbird.

"Grab hold of the rods and channel your energy into them. I should warn you though this may leave you feeling a bit drained." He said.

Warbird ignored the last comment and quickly grabbed the rods in front of her and began to channel her photon energy. She gritted her teeth against the intense pull from the draining of her powers, but she refused to let go.

* * *

 **BANG! BANG! BANG!** Came the sound of the giant Hydro-Man pounding on the invisible shield.

"REED HURRY UP!" Sue shouted from her spot in the air. She was standing on one of her invisible shields protecting them from Hydro-Man's onslaught however he was strong and the force against her shield was beginning to be too much for her to bear.

"JUST HOLD IT A BIT LONGER SUE!"

Warbird let out a shout before letting go of the rods. Ben caught her in his arms again just as Reed finished calibrating the Fantasti-Car settings. The brilliant scientist looked at the towering two Hydro-Men in front of him and pressed several buttons on the computer console in front of him.

"SUE RELEASE THE SHIELD NOW!"

Sue let out a loud sigh as she dropped the shield. Reed gritted his teeth as the Fantasti-car rattled violently before unleashing a devastating singular blast of photon energy. The brilliant ray of energy barreled through the chest of the giant Hydro-Man in front of them causing him to yell in agony before breaking apart and falling back into the water. Reed turned the controls and the beam began to curve through the air and towards the two giant Hydro-Men towering over the bridge. The two of them took notice of the beam however it was faster than their reflexes and so like the others it smashed into them and disrupted their powers and sent them toppling over back into the river.

 **THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound.

* * *

 **Bridge**

The smaller Hydro-Men on the bridge let out a yell before bursting into puddles of water on the ground. The Wasp spit out some of the water from her mouth and looked at the river down below.

"Is it over?" she asked.

Captain America glanced over the edge of the bridge and then to the Hydro-Man that was rampaging through the city.

"No, there's still one more left." He said while pointing in that direction.

* * *

 **Chinatown**

The screams of the civilians echoed in the night as the negatively charged Hydro-Man roared and slammed his fist to the ground, hoping to crush Mr. Negative however the villain dove out of the way.

Mr. Negative turned over and snarled at his larger than life foe.

" **OBEY ME!"** he yelled.

"NO!" Hydro-Man roared in returned.

Mr. Negative gritted his teeth in anger because of Hydro-Man's disobedience. He was beyond shocked at the fact that he was resisting his touch because in the years he has had his gift no one has ever been able to resist. The wananbe Kingpin watched as the watery villain shrunk down to human size and slid over to him.

The negatively charged Hydro-man picked him up and mercilessly slammed him into a car before flinging him down the street.

"I don't obey anyone but me." He said.

* * *

 **Streets of Chinatown**

Pandemonium erupted in the streets of Chinatown as dozens of Hydro-Men swarmed Mr. Negative's chosen district. No one was spared as he and his smaller doppelgangers rampaged through the city. A burley looking Hydro-Man with two watery and bloody spikes for hands stepped to a group of scared civilians.

"HERE'S JOHNNY!" he shouted while raising his spiked hands.

"BONZAI!"

A shadow appeared over Hydro-Man and he looked up to see Kong dressed in his Spider-Man gear. The teen came down with his baseball bat and smacked Hydro-Man in the head splashing water everywhere.

"Awww Yeah!" said Kong.

* * *

Flash, Randy, Jason and Sally rushed towards him and the civilians. Flash and Sally helped an elderly couple to their feet.

"All of you are safe for the moment but you have to get out of here and get to one of the safe zones the police are setting up just outside of Chinatown."

"Thank you." The elderly woman said.

Kong, Randy and Jason took a step back when they saw Hydro-Man beginning to pull himself back together.

"Dude." Kong whispered as Hydro-Man become whole again.

"That wasn't a smart thing to do you fat….." he started to say until his eyes got a look at the spider-symbol on their chest, his face contorted into anger. He thrusted his hand forward and grabbed Kong by the chest and lifted him up.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Flash yelled.

* * *

The hot-headed teen rushed to his friend making sure to grab the fallen bat however he was easily smacked to the ground. The burly Hydro-Man brought Kong in close to his face.

"That symbol, why are you wearing it fat-boy." he demanded.

Kong growled.

"My name isn't fatboy. And I'm wearing this symbol because I am Spider-Man! WE'RE ALL SPIDER-MAN!" Kong yelled defiantly, even though he was scared out of his mind.

"Are you really, well, I really hate spiders. Every time I see one I get this urge to drown it." He said.

"Well, I love'em. And do your worst." Kong replied before spitting in Hydro-Man's face.

Hydro-Man chuckled as the spit receded into his water becoming part of him. He opened his mouth and a thin stream of water fired out and into Kong's mouth, choking him in the process. Randy, Sally and Jason each ran towards Hydro-Man however tendrils of water fired out of his body and grabbed them and easily hoisted them upside down. A face formed in his back that looked at the captured heroes.

"I'll be killing all of you spider-rejects momentarily." He said in a dark tone.

"GULLPHPH!" Kong gurgled.

The teen began to panic as his air supply was cut and he could feel the cold hands of death coming close.

* * *

"LET HIM GO!" Flash yelled while fighting his way to his feet "LET HIM…." he started to say again but was interrupted by a set of bright lights flood the small area.

Flash turned around to see Hellcat riding a motorcycle and quickly heading right for him.

"MOVE!" she shouted.

* * *

Flash rolled out of the way just as she jumped off the motorcycle and let it ram into Hydro-Man. The watery villain laughed when the vehicle became stuck inside of his watery body.

"Really sugar butt, what the hell was that supposed to do?" Hydro-Man asked.

Hellcat smirked as she held up her clawed hand.

"Distract you." She said before swiping her clawed fingers along the ground and ignited the fuel on the ground in front of her. The sparks from her claws ignited the fuel and the trial of fire that led to the motorcycle.

"Shit." The burly Hydro-Man said.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Flash took his hands away from his face and quickly searched for his friends who had been blown back from the blast. He saw Hellcat as well, however his face contorted into that of anger.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" He yelled while getting to his feet, "You could've killed my friends!"

Flash ran past her and to the fallen Kong.

"The words you're looking for are thank you." Hellcat whispered through clenched teeth as her eyes traveled to the angry red burn mark on her arm. She groaned at the pain but it was quickly put to the side as she saw a few droplets of water on the ground in front of her move away on its own and towards a slowly growing pudding.

"And suddenly I feel like I'm in a Terminator movie." She said to herself.

* * *

"Kong! Kong, speak to me buddy." Flash said frantically to his motionless friend "I can't loose you too buddy. Come on!"

Flash raised his fist and slammed it down onto Kong's chest. Kong's eyes snapped open and he immediately turned over and spit out the water in his lungs. A sense of relief passed through Flash as his best friend was still in the land of the living.

"D-Dude…." Kong gasped and gagged, "I-I-I think I saw Leo."

Flash was about to respond when he heard Hellcat shouting from behind him. He turned around to see Hydro-Man reforming behind him with an axe for a hand. The two teens gasped but the strike never came because a vibrant blue beam burst through Hydro-Man doppelganger displacing his water in every direction again.

 **THUD! THUD! THUD!**

* * *

Flash, Kong, Hellcat and the other looked to see dozens of Ultron units landing all around them with their hands out blasting the Hydro-Men around them.

"All of you are in danger, please leave the area in an orderly fashion and to the safe zone." Came his monotone mechanical voice.

"Dude, skynet is real." Kong groaned in a joking manor; however the joke was lost as a spike of water barreled through the chest of the Ultron unit in front of them. Flash gritted his teeth and hefted his friend to his feet and began to shuffle away. Hellcat limped away as well while making sure that the other _'Spider-Men'_ were following.

* * *

 **Midtown**

 **BANNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG** came the sound of a destroyed Ultron unit bashing into the front end of Luke Cage's car. The car swerved all over the road sending everyone inside slamming to one side before Luke managed to get it under control.

"My aching kidneys, great skills behind the wheel Cage." Peter commented under his breath.

"Hey! If you wanna drive just let me know!" Luke yelled.

A cannon ball made of water almost hit the front side of the car but Luke swerved out of the way again.

"Okay so what's the plan? Please tell it's not just charging into danger head first." Said Black Cat.

"No, fighting Hydro-Man is pointless. We have to find the Owl, only he would know how to stop his own henchman. One thing I learned from fighting the Kingpin is that if you want to be in charge you got to have some sort of leverage." Said Peter

"That's a big if." Said Iron Fist

"And how are we supposed to find him, just click our heels together three times and poof there he is." Said Black Cat, "This place is huge, we would need a helicopter or someway to see the whole city."

Luke swerved to the right again.

"I actually have an idea about that. I'm gonna call a new fried of mine. He's new on the scene but he's reliable and he's got something we can use right now. Fist take the wheel." Said Luke.

Iron Fist grabbed hold of the wheel while Luke reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone. He dialed a few numbers and patiently waited, praying to God that the man on the other end was not dead or dying.

* * *

 **Chinatown**

The Falcon flew over head surveying the chaos down below. He could see the Avengers, Shield and the Fantastic Four had arrived and were doing their best to get the civilians to safety, while also dealing with the smaller versions of hydro-Man.

"You are in danger." Came a robotic voice beside him.

Falcon spotted the Ultron units as they flew through the sky engaging the giant Hydro-Man that still towered over everything.

* * *

"Please land and get to safety." Ultron commanded.

Falcon ignored the robot and dipped low towards the ground. He twisted out of the way of fist made of water and scooped a frightened woman into his arms and flew her away from the scene. Once the civilian was safe he took off towards the air once more.

 **SMASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of the giant Hydro-Man backhanding the side of a building in an attempt to swat Quicksilver. The powerful blow sent it leaning to the side which made a teen fall out of the window but the Falcon was there to catch him.

* * *

 **RINGGGGG! RINGGGG!** The Falcon heard his ringing communications line and the words incoming call flashing across the goggles that were over his eyes. He saw the number and he decided to answer it.

"I'm a little busy right now Luke." He said.

" _So am I Sam but I need your help with something. We ain't stopping this Hydro-Man guy without some much needed intel which can only be given by the Owl. We need his location. I figure you can help with that seeing as how you can talk to birds or whatever it is that you do. You can cover more ground and find the Owl_."

"What a coincidence. I just saw him not that long ago. He left with Hydro-Man and Redwing followed them."

The Falcon placed the teen in his arms down and the teen ran away. He felt the ground shake and he had to take to the air once more as a wave of water came flooding down the street.

" _Yo Falcon you there! Talk to the birds man we ain't got much time!_ " Luke yelled.

"I can't talk to all birds yet Luke; I can only talk to one, now just give me a second."

The Falcon closed his eyes and he focused on the telepathic link between himself and Redwing. It only took a moment for him to see through the eyes of his trusty companion and his intended target.

"I found him. The Owl is in the heart of Chinatown, in a club called the Python Club, but he looks hurt. I'm not that far away from….."

The Falcon saw a large shadow looming over him. Hydro-Man was looking directly at him.

"Oh Shi…" he started before a fist made of water fired out in an attempt to knock him out of the sky.

* * *

 **On the Road**

Luke took the phone away from his ear as he heard the line suddenly go dead.

"Well we got a location. Chinatown, Python Night Club."

"Mr. Negative's joint." Said Black Cat, "Him and his demon masked ninja assassin crew operate out of the club."

"How do you know that?" Iron Fist asked.

"I'm a thief and any good thief knows where the big fish swim." She replied.

Peter glanced in her direction; he remembered that before he _'retired'_ he had several run in's with men and women in demon masks. He now knew they were in league with someone named Mr. Negative. He mulled the name over in his mind but ultimately he pushed it aside because it was someone else's problem. It was a job for the police, the proper authorities. He had no intentions of fully returning to that life. He only wanted to stop Hydro-Man and that would be the end of it.

' _One last thing.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

 **Chinatown- Python Night Club**

"Wake up!"

The Owl heard the command and ever so slowly his eyes began to open. He felt himself being rolled over to his back and then slapped in the face; his eyes snapped open to see a human sized Hydro-Man kneeling over him. He quickly scooted away from him, and his hands flew to his breast pocket where he kept the vial of liquid that would subdue him.

The Owl spotted the vial laying a few feet away from him in a puddle of water.

' _Damn it'_ He thought to himself.

Morris reached towards him in a friendly manner.

"Come on we have to get out of here." He said.

"Stay away!" The Owl yelled "I knew I shouldn't have trusted a freak like you to help me win back my kingdom. I giae you everything and you betray me!"

"I'm sorry, that wasn't' me it was angry and confused part I'm not like—AH!"

* * *

A spike made of water emerged through Morris' chest. He crumpled into a puddle of water that was absorbed by the copy that was standing right behind him.

"Freak am I!" the negatively charged Hydro-Man spat, "How about I carve you up into bits of meat and see how much of a freak you are!" he snapped.

* * *

The Owl dove for the vial that was on the ground however a column of water rose up and it turned into a hand. .

"NO!" The Owl roared in fear.

A gasped escaped his lips as Hydro-Man grabbed him and brought him in close. The villain looked towards the vial and then back to the Owl.

"What the hell is that? And why are you after it?" he asked.

The Owl resisted answering at first but as an anaconda made of water wrapped around him tightly applying pressure to his lungs he yelled out the answer.

"It's a vial of liquids that can kill you!" he said.

"Kill me, I don't know if you noticed but I'm sort of a God! A new aged Poseidon. I can't be killed by anything." He replied.

"Not true. The man that supplied you with your powers gave it to me as insurance. It can kill you." He said.

"Yes. I do remember that man. I'll have to thank him in person when I find him but if what you say is true then I should probably destroy it." Said Hydro-Man.

* * *

Redwing let a screech escape from his throat as he swooped down from his perch and snagged the vial of liquid and took to the air once more.

"Damn bird!" he growled.

Hydro-Man stabbed the Owl in the chest and uncaringly tossed him to the side before sinking own into the water that was on the floor. He followed Redwing with his eyes.

'Kill me…I don't think so.' He thought to himself as he moved through the flooded streets of Chinatown.

* * *

 **Outside**

Redwing could feel the psychic link between him and his partner the Falcon and so the majestic bird dove through the air and headed in his direction with the vial of liquid in tow.

The link between him and the Falcon was growing stronger and in the distance the bird could make out something flying towards him. He let out a screech in joy once he recognized his partner however it was out the corner of his eye he saw the spike made of water.

Redwing barely managed to swerve out of the way. He let out another screech but it was different than before. It sounded like a call for help.

* * *

The Falcon heard the screech and he could see Redwing dipping and swerving out of the way of a Hydro-Man that was on top of a roof firing spikes at him. He increased the propulsion output on his winged harness, pushing himself faster in the direction of Redwing in spite of the fact that he was injured. He could sense the terror in his most trusted and loyal friend and so he pushed any feelings of pain out of his mind.

"Hang on buddy, I'm coming. I'm coming." He said to himself.

* * *

The Falcon continued onward pushing his arms to the bring of exhaustion but quickly closed the distance between himself and Redwing. Redwing let out a screech as one of his wings were hit by Hydro-Man's spikes.

The bird fell from the sky however the Falcon dove down after him; his heart was in his throat as he reached out with all his might for his friend. He managed to grab hold of Redwing and tuck him into his arms as the ground came closer and closer. He was too close to pull up and so he turned his back to the ground so his flying harness would take the impact that was imminent.

"Hold on buddy this is going to be rough!" he shouted.

* * *

 **Down Below**

Luke stepped on the accelerator as he saw the Python Night club up ahead.

"We're almost there." Said Iron Fist.

 **BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANGGGGG!** Came the sound of the Falcon bashing into the front end of the car. The Car swerved all over of the road until coming to a complete stop several yards away from the club. The vigilantes inside stared at the fallen man in curiosity until Peter suddenly gasped because at that moment his spider sense alerted him to the impeding danger.

"Everybody duck!" he yelled while diving on top of Black Cat.

* * *

 **RUNNNNNNCHHH** went the sound of the top half of the car being effortlessly ripped off, exposing all of them to the towering Hydro-Man.

"Peek-a-Boo! I see you!" he yelled.

* * *

Iron Fist was the first to recover he jumped forward and charged his chi to his right fist and he jammed it inside of the leg of the towering villain. Hydro-Man's leg burst into water but it quickly reformed and he swatted his hand at Danny who barely managed to get out of the way.

Luke grabbed hold of a piece of the trashed vehicle and threw it at the giant Hydro-man. He smacked it out of the way but a beam of energy emerged through his chest, and that was quickly followed by a dozen more.

Luke and Danny both looked up to see Ultron units descending from up above and firing upon Hydro-Man.

"You are in danger leave now." Said Ultron.

"Villain you are under arrest by order of the Avengers and Shield." Said another Ultron.

* * *

Peter pushed some debris off of himself and Black Cat.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No." she replied.

Peter was about to responded when he heard a voice coming from his right. He turned to see the Falcon.

"L-Luke…" he whispered, "I need to…"

Peter saw that there was a large spikes sticking out of his side and leg. He went over to him.

"Hey, easy you're hurt." He said.

"Luke Cage." Falcon whispered, "I need to get to Luke Cage. I-I know how to stop this guy. "

"How?" Peter asked "I can get the message to Luke."

* * *

The Falcon opened his hand, revealing the vial of liquid to Peter. He handed it to him.

"This can stop him but…."

The Falcon passed out.

* * *

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of one of the Ultron units crashing down a few feet away from him. Peter turned to see Hydro-Man destroying the other robot before setting his eyes upon him and the vial of liquid in his hands. Hydro-Man let a smirk cross his watery lips.

"Spider-Man." he said, but his eyes widened a little when he spotted the vial in his hands, "Give me that vial."

Peter's spider-sense kicked into overdrive. He shoved the Falcon away and towards the Black Cat and managed to leap out of the way of a fist made of water that slammed into the ground leaving a crater sized dent. Peter landed on the side of building and Hydro-Man whipped his fist to the right taking out a whole section of the apartment building in an attempt to swat the wall crawling wonder.

"You missed!" Peter shouted, _'I've got to lead him away from the others.'_ He thought to himself. He held up the vial, showing it to the watery villain.

"GIVE IT TO ME NOW!" Hydro-Man roared.

"Come get it." Peter replied.

He flipped backwards along the edge of the adjacent building and ran away. Hydro-Man turned his bottom half to water and gave chase after him, trampling anything and everything in his path.

* * *

Luke and Danny both spit out some of the water in their mouths and watched as Hydro-Man went after Peter.

"Kids got guts." Said Luke

" **GET BACK HERE AND OBEY ME!** " came a shout.

Luke and Danny turned to see Mr. Negative standing a few feet away screaming at the oblivious Hydro-Man. The negatively charged villain gritted his teeth before looking towards the heroes for hire. He recognized the two of them and he pointed his sword at them.

"You two…." He started before Luke threw a tire at him.

Mr. Negative sliced it in half with his sword. Iron Fist quickly closed the distance and with a flying kick nailed him in the chest. Mr. Negative hit the ground but turned it into a roll and came up and took a mid-ranged slash with his sword. Iron Fist charged his chi to his hand and caught the weapon. He yanked it from Mr. Negative's hands and ducked just as Luke came in with a solid punch to the face.

"We're bringing you in Negative!" Luke yelled "Tonight is the night that all Kingpins are going down."

* * *

 **Several Streets Down**

Peter jumped out the way of a pressurized stream of water. The stream bashed into the center of wall punching a hole through it milliseconds after he bounded off.

"STAND STILL!" Hydro-man yelled.

Pete ignored the command and continued to stay one step ahead of his watery foe.

' _Alright Parker what are you doing besides the obvious. I'm leading him away from his source of power; problem is though Manhattan is an Island that's surrounded by water.'_ He thought before looking down at the vial of liquid in his hands _, 'I can always use this vial but I have no idea what it is, it could make him more powerful or like that guy said, it may be able to stop him. I don't have time to debate either….spider-sense!'_

Peter flipped onto a roof-top that was flooded with water. He barely managed to jump out of the way of a Hydro-Man copy that burst from one of the many puddles. The copy splashed on the ground but reformed.

"Where is Lana?" The copy demanded.

"Somewhere safe and away from you." Peter replied while looking past the copy to see the giant wave that was still chasing him.

* * *

The Hydro-Man copy roared but Peter flipped over his lunge and continued to run deeper into the city and away from the large wave of water and from the East River. He came to a stop once he saw that the next building over ways too far for him to jump.

"Damn." He whispered.

"Grab on!" came a shout.

Peter looked to see Black Cat swinging into view on one of her grapping hooks. Peter jumped off the ledge, grabbing her hand in the nick of time. The two of them swung across the huge gap and to the next set of buildings where they both continued on.

"This is your plan!" she yelled.

"Just keep running, it's the only thing we can do." Peter replied.

"Use the vial thing." She said

"Not yet." Peter replied _, 'If this vial can stop him then I've only got one shot. If I use it I want to be as far away from the East River as possible.'_

* * *

Peter and Black Cat jumped to the ledge of the next building only to be grabbed by several tendrils of water and thrown across the open rooftop. Black Cat went bouncing along the cement until she tumbled off the other side. She felt the pull of gravity but managed to fire off her grappling hook that snagged the metal railing of the fire escape, which halted her descent.

Peter felt his spider-sense come to life as he rolled along the cement avoiding the spikes from the flood roof. A fist found its way to his stomach and the blow shoved him backwards, knocking all the wind out of him and making him take a knee. It took him a second to catch his breath and once he did he saw the shadow of the wave of water towering over him.

* * *

The wave veered downward completely surrounding him in a dome of water, however Hydro-Man did not drown him. There was only a single air bubble inside the dome and the bubble was getting smaller by the second.

"Can you feel it Spider-Man." Came Hydro-Man's voice from all around, "Your watery grave is coming for you."

Peter gritted his teeth as he discreetly popped the top to the vial of liquid in his hands.

' _One shot, I have to make it count. He can make copies of himself so I need to find a way to flush out the real one.'_

"I've dreamed of this moment, ever since the first time you and I fought." Said Hydro-Man.

"Do you mean at Lana's apartment or at that house party?" Peter asked, "It's a little difficult to remember how many times I've kicked your ass."

* * *

A wave from the top of the dome came down and smacked him in the back sending to the ground. The vial of liquid nearly fell from his grip but he managed to keep his hold. He shook the water from his hair and fought his way back to a knee.

"Now that I know your face, I'd say the house party." He said, "You took her from me and you will tell me where she is."

"No." Peter replied.

Hydro-Man's face formed in the center of the bubble that was around him and snarled.

"Stupid little spider-f***!" he roared, "You are trying my patience and you know what, I've decided it doesn't matter anymore. I'll find her on my own. I can feel my powers growing Spider-Man. I can feel every puddle, every rain drop, every drain and body of water across the globe. I am everywhere and everything and I will kill every single person until I find her."

Hydro-Man closed his eyes and he focused with all of his might.

* * *

 **Chinatown**

Luke, Iron Fist and Mr. Negative battled each other for dominance, neither side giving an inch. The fight between them was interrupted when they were grabbed by hands of water shooting up from the ground and trapping them in bubbles made of water. Luke and Iron Fist gagged and clawed in a desperate attempt to breath, as did Mr. Negative.

* * *

Flash, Kong, Jason, Randy, and Sally screamed with the rest of the civilians as the streets all around them flooded, slowly rising at first until completely submerging them. Every fought for survival but Hydro-man would not release his hold. Jason and Sally grabbed hold of each other tightly knowing that this was the end. He mouthed the words I love you to her and she did the same.

* * *

Captain America and the Wasp struggled within their watery prison as well. Cap looked all around him and he could see Quicksilver trying his best to free himself but he couldn't he was stuck, as was Hank Pym.

* * *

 **Up Above**

Iron Man, Warbird and the Scarlet Witch watched in horror as water began to flood the lower half of Manhattan. They looked to see the water levels rising around Brooklyn as well. They wasted no time in blasting at the water but it did nothing to stop it from rising or release its hold on the trapped Avengers or the helpless citizens.

"We have to do something before everything is flooded!" Warbird shouted.

"I'm open to suggestions." Iron Man returned "I've tried everything I can think of, but water with a mind is not something I've had the chance to prepare for."

"We can pray." Said Scarlet Witch.

* * *

All across the five boroughs everyone found themselves running from the rising water and those who were not able to escape were submerged underwater, helplessly drowning.

Wilson Fisk, the former Kingpin of Crime grabbed at his throat as he felt the water seeping in through his mouth and nose. He couldn't hold his breath for much longer, and soon much like everyone else he would die.

' _So close…..so close.'_ He thought as his eyes began to droop and finally close.

* * *

 **Manhattan Roof-top**

Peter felt his spider-sense come to life, as the danger was evident all around him. He saw a hand made of water drifting through the giant wave until it reached the edge of the roof he was on. The former wall-crawler watched as the hand dragged Black Cat into view.

"No!" he shouted while standing up.

* * *

Black Cat clawed and kicked at the water but it was of no use.

"I will submerged this wretched city in water and so far I haven't found her yet which means she's not here, but that's okay. Even if she isn't here, I'll just move on to the next city, to the next state to the next Continent until I find her. Anyone who doesn't agree to worship me I will kill, just like I will do to your little cat themed friend."

Peter locked eyes with Black Cat and the look of fear that was on her face. He turned his attention away from her and to the grinning face of Hydro-Man.

' _Need to get to his real body.'_ Peter thought.

"I'll bow to you." He said.

"What?" Hydro-Man replied.

"I said I will bow to you, just please spare her life and everyone else's life." He said.  
"I'm about to kill you Spider-Man." Said Hydro-Man.

"Killing me is too quick, wouldn't you rather have the satisfaction of seeing me grovel at your feet first. I'll kiss your feet, but please just let her live. Let everyone live."

Hydro-Man chuckled, and as he chuckled from his mouth out walked his negatively charged watery body. He stopped in front of Peter and titled his head to the side.

"It would please me to see you kiss my feet. It even brings a smile to my face to hear you beg. Okay, spidey, kneel. Kneel before Hydro-Man and kiss my f****** feet."

Peter slowly fell down to his knees and he lowered his head to Hydro-Man's feet. He studied Hydro-Man's foot and he could see the water that was circulating through his entire body. He cupped one foot with his hand and he noted how it became solid.

' _One shot.'_ Peter thought.

* * *

He glanced up at Hydro-Man who was staring down at him.

"Kiss my feet!" he yelled.

Peter reared his left hand back and he shoved his fist into Hydra-Man's watery leg. He crushed the vial of purple liquid, releasing it into Hydro-Man's system.

"GAHHHHH!" Hydro-Man yelled while backing away.

Hydro-Man backhanded Peter away as he felt searing pain radiating through his body. He yelled at the top of his lungs as that feeling only intensified. The air bubble of water rippled before exploding sending water everywhere. Black Cat fell from the air but Peter was there to catch her.

* * *

Peter fell to the ground and shielded her as best as he could from the intense rush of water that erupted from the dome of water. Once the rush of water was over, Peter rolled Black Cat onto her back and he pushed down on her stomach a couple of times before her eyes snapped open. She leaned over and vomited the water that had filled her lungs. She heaved a long sigh before glancing in Peter's direction.

"And you wonder why cats hate water."

Peter smiled, but it quickly vanished as his spider-sense nudged him to his left.

* * *

Hydro-Man thrashed about as his body felt like it was being ripped apart. The intimate connection he had with the water around him and beyond was instantly cut, the hold he hand on everyone was cut and he couldn't feel anything other than cold.

* * *

 **East River  
**

"Look!" Scarlet Witch exclaimed.

The rising water that was flooding the city instantly began to fall back into the river. The three Avengers heaved a sigh of relief as they saw their friends burst from their watery prison and fall to the ground heaving deep breaths of air.

* * *

 **Chinatown**

Luke and Danny each breathed in the sweet smell of air as they too were released from their prison.

"Remind me to never go swimming again." Said Danny.

Luke began to chuckle but it quickly stopped when he saw Mr. Negative leaping towards them. He jammed his sword into Iron Fist's stomach.

"GAH!" Danny exclaimed.

"You sonuva…" Luke started.

* * *

Mr. Negative heaved several deep breaths while staring evilly into the eyes of Luke Cage.

"You can either chase me or save your friend, the choice is yours Cage." He said before ripping his sword of Iron Fist's stomach.

Luke instantly scrambled over to him and applied pressure to the wound.

"THIS AINT OVER NEGATIVE! NOT BY A LONG SHOT!" Luke yelled.

Mr. Negative ran away into the night.

* * *

 **Roof-top**

Hydro-Man fell to his knees and he put his hands in the pool of water that was beneath him. He tried to absorb it, tried to move it but it laid there un-moving.

"No. No. No. What have you done to me!" Hydro-Man exclaimed.

Peter stood to his feet and he faced his watery foe.

"It's over Hydro-Man. You've lost." He said.

"I was the new Kingpin, no I was a GOD! And you took that away from me, just like you took Lana, just like you take everything!" Hydro-Man roared.

"You're insane you know that." Peter replied, "I didn't take anything from you, I stopped you from murdering innocent people."

"No one is innocent spider-punk. No one." He growled.

* * *

Hydro-Man groaned in pain as purple tinted vapor began to rise from his body. He felt cold at first but then he started to feel hot. He could barely breathe but his hate kept him focused. He focused as hard as he could and he made his hand turn into a spike made of water.

"I may not be able to control water anymore but…I can still control the water in my body. And….. this is all I need to kill you!" He rasped.

* * *

Peter looked at his enemy. He was sweating, the water falling off of him in chunk and evaporating into thin air, but even though that was happening Hydro-Man still kept his eyes locked on him, ready to attack at a moments notice.

"Don't do it!" Peter yelled.

Hydro-Man let out a yell and charged at him. Peter saw him coming and as he neared he jumped out of the way.

* * *

 **SPLASHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of Hydro-Man hitting the cement rooftop, he burst into hundred different puddles onto the roof. Peter took a step back as each puddle started to evaporate into the air in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Lana." Hydro-Man whispered before disappearing into a cloud purple vapor.

* * *

Black Cat watched as the vapor cleared leaving no trace of Hydro-Man in sight.

"Well that was horrible. Is it over?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's over, for now at least." Peter replied.

' _Yes, Spider-man, for now the threat of Hydro-Man is over, but he was only one of many that are on the horizon. Now, more than ever you will be needed.'_ Said the mysterious voice, in Peter's mind.

* * *

 **Later that night**

A soggy, bruised and defeated Wilson Fisk busted down the door to his rarely used safehouse, letting the water inside pour out. It was in Brooklyn which is not one of his normal stomping grounds, which is why it was the perfect place to lay low. In one fell swoop his carefully laid plans had gone up in flames or rather it had been washed away by the unexpected arrival of the Owl's bodyguard, Hydro-Man. He had been so close to reclaiming what was his, so close to become what he used to be and now he was back to square one.

Fisk did not who was still alive, who was still on his side or what had happened to the Owl, Mr. Negative or Daredevil, all he knew was that Hydro-Man had been taken care of and he had escaped certain death. And escaping death was only a consolation prize, but it was something he would have to take for now. He would rebuild again, he would plan again and he would strike again, and soon.

"Bullseye." He said.

Fisk turned towards the door waiting for his second in command to walk through but he didn't, instead a face he had not seen in a long time emerged.

"Shang-Chi." Said Fisk.

* * *

Shang-Chi looked a little worse for wear, he was soaked to the bone having narrowly escaped death because of the seemingly all-powerful Hydro-Man. Ever since he had heard that Fisk had returned he had been stalking him, looking for a chance to reclaim his lost honor. He thought he had found his chance however Hydro-Man had separated them in his bid to flood all of New York City but fate had given him another chance.

Shang-Chi stepped further into the safehouse, dragging the unconscious body of Bullseye behind him. He tossed the crazed thug to the ground.

"I have finally found you." He said.

"Looking for another job?" Fisk asked.

Shang-Chi shook his head.

"No. I'm looking for redemption from betrayal, reclamation of my lost honor and rectification of a mistake." He said.

Fisk secretly reached for the gun that was strapped to his side.

"So what are you gonna do Shang-Chi. Are you gonna karate chop me in throat or do some of that Kung-Fu bullsh** because I can assure you that whatever you're thinking, its not going to go down that way."

"No. I'm not going to fight you Fisk. I'm going to shoot you." Shang-Chi replied before pulling out a gun and aiming it Fisk.

* * *

Fisk was quick on the draw and had his gun out aimed right back at him. The two of them stood there with their weapons in hand waiting to see who was going to falter first. Shang-Chi was calm and collected; having already made peace with his maker that if tonight was the night he was supposed to die than so be it, just as long as he found redemption for his soul.

The former Kingpin of crime was calm as well but instead of peace with his god he cursed him. He cursed him for the complete and utter dissolution of his carefully laid plans. It was all so perfect and now it was all so perfectly ruined. And even though he had been denied his kingdom he made up his mind that he was not going to die. He had too much to live for.

"For my honor." Shang-Chi whispered.

"For my City." Said Fisk.

 **POWWW!**

* * *

Fisk dropped his gun and then to his knees clutching his neck trying to stop the blood that was seeping out of the bullet hole. He choked and gagged but he managed to see Shang-Chi fall to the ground as well.

He took pride in the fact that he defeated at least one enemy but the pride slipped into panic as he realized that he couldn't breathe, blood was seeping into his windpipe. He reached into his pocket and he pulled out his soaking wet phone. He managed to dial nine one one before the phone fell out of his hand and to the soaking wet floor.

 _'Damn it…pick it up, pick it up damn you.'_ He thought to himself, _'You are not going to die here. This is not how you die you are the Kingpin.'_

Fisk collapsed to the floor, his strength leaving him as his blood continued to ooze out of the wound and mix with the murky water on the ground beneath him.

 _'Get…up…..G-Get…get to the p-phone. G-Get to Bullseye.'_

Fisk felt his eyes growing heavier by the second and once they became too heavy to keep open he closed them, finally succumbing to darkness.

* * *

 **END CHAPTER: READ AND REVIEW. Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. **

**Again, yes I am alive and well. I've just been super busy. It's like the older I get the more complicated and busy my life gets lol! I can only offer my sincerest and deepest apology for keeping you readers hanging for as long as I did. I didn't quit or anything like that it's just that I haven't had time to do anything. I've got a ton of PM's and reviews to respond to and I will. Again I apologize for the long wait.  
**

 **As much as I love writing whether its fanfiction, short stories, novels (Yes you read that right lol), or poetry or whatever, it's not exactly my main gig right now. Late last year/earlier this year I took a promotion at my job and while the pay is freaking fantastic, it is ultra time consuming which is probably why the last guy in this position quit, I think he had like four kids or something. Do trust I'm definitely earning my pay.**

 **I tried my hardest to get this chapter up and running before Spider-Man: Homecoming dropped in theaters and I'm glad I succeeded, lol. Yes. I will be seeing it opening night, in 3D/Imax with a group of friends and I'll probably see it again with my girlfriend. So I will defiantly have an opinion that I will share with anyone who is interested.**

 **I'm a little on the fence about it because a few things: One: High School Spidey (Come on Marvel College Spidey is best), TWO: It's based on Ultimate Spidey (Ultimate Spidey is nothing compared to 616 Spidey) and Three: Spidey and Iron Man Mentor thing they got going on (Spider-Man and Iron Man have always been Frienemies at best. Stark should not be anyone's mentor) however I will reserve all judgement until the movie has been viewed.**

 **Anyway that's all I got for this time. The next chapter will be up soon, I promise. I'm hoping it will be up by next week and if not by next week definitely before the month is out. As always please leave a review or if you want you can hit me up with a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying later….**

 **Next up: Interlude: My Sucktastic Life starring: George Stacy and Jessica Jones  
**

* * *

 **Summary: George Stacy has a run in with the former superhero Jessica Jones as they both try to solve the case of a missing girl while coping with their demons. Be there!**


	8. Interulude: My Sucktastic Life

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with another brand new chapter for you. As stated before Volume 3 is larger than volume 2 mostly in the sense that there are more characters and more moving parts. So far we've focused on Peter, and Flash and his group of friends who have taken on his legacy, now we move to another section of characters in Spidey's orbit. That's all I'll say for now except please continue to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Interlude: My Sucktastic Life starring Jessica Jones and George Stacy**

 **TV**

" _Good-evening New York City, this is Michelle Burns bringing you up to the minute news. Our top story tonight is still the fallout from the Reign of Hydro-Man. It has been two-weeks since his defeat at the hands of New York City's and the World's greatest heroes: The Fantastic Four and the Avengers. In the days that have passed both teams have worked tirelessly to ensure our safety and that there is nothing to fear. Leaders, Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four and Giant Man and Iron Man from the Avengers have made statements and they each had this to say:_

* * *

 _ **Reed Richards**_ _: In the past two weeks I have personally tested every inch of water and I have found no trace of Hydro-Man's radioactive presence or any trace of radioactivity in the water. New York City can rest easy now, I promise you are safe however if he should ever arise again my team and I will be ready for him_.

 **Johnny** : _DAMN RIGHT BECAUSE WE'RE THE WORLD'S GREATEST HEROES!_

* * *

 _ **Iron Man**_ _: I concur with Dr. Richards. I have personally tested every inch of the water around the Island of Manhattan and there is no trace of Hydro-Man._

 **Michelle Burns** _: How can you be sure?_

 _ **Giant-Man**_ _\- Hydro-Man emits a certain radiation signal that Dr. Richards was so kind to share with us and that signal has completely vanished. I have programmed Ultron to search for that signal and his search has yielded no results._

 _ **Michelle Burns:**_ _This so called signal has vanished? Vanished where, and does that mean it or he could come back?_

 _ **Giant Man:**_ _All good questions, we are certain that the signal has dispersed. The cohesion element holding Hydro-Man together must have evaporated or disbanded, we're still crunching the numbers on that part but we are certain that it and he will not come back however if he should Ultron will detect him and the Avengers as well as the Fantastic Four will be there to stop him once again_.

* * *

" _And as you can see on your screen here, Ultron units still patrol the skies looking and searching for any sign of Hydro-Man's return and thankfully there have been no incidences. However while the immediate threat of Hydro-Man is gone there are many lingering concerns. And those concerns are the Mutants that roam these fair streets. The Anti-Mutant protest and hysteria have only increased and so has the violence, as you can see on your screen here. Many are claiming that Hydro-Man was a mutant and he represents how dangerous mutants can be if left unchecked. Senator Robert Kelly has once more begun to push for the idea of Mutant Registration. The Police are stretched thin to keep the peace but thankfully they are not alone in the struggle. New York has always been home to colorful heroes and as we move further along in the year more colorful heroes are appearing every day, but even with the emergence of these new heroes will it be enough to turn the tide of the wave of fear and violence that has crept into the heart of our city, only time will tell. In other news crime is still at an all time high….'_

* * *

 **On the Street- 8:45pm**

George Stacy, former Captain of the NYPD stepped away from the store window that had the news report playing and he vomited into the trash can that was on the corner. He earned several disgusted looks from the people that were watching the report and the people passing by but he could care less about what they thought. George felt his stomach heave again and the brown liquor he had gulped down minutes before found its way up and into the trash can with the other bits of food and liquor. He wiped his mouth and his thick gray and blonde beard with the back of his hand.

He reached towards his jacket pocket and removed the flask but to his ire it was empty, but luckily he knew where he could get another drink. The former Captain glanced down the street and at the bar that was on the end of the corner.

* * *

 **The Brown Market Bar**

George entered the dimly lit bar. It was busy enough on a Saturday night and because it was one of the few bars still standing after Hydro-Man's rampage two weeks ago it was completely packed. The music boomed loudly, the millennials danced and the Bartenders and waiters eagerly accepted the hefty tips. He swayed a little as he made his way to the counter bar and moved the red haired boy in front of him out of his way. He made eye contact with the bartender.

"You got money old timer?" the bartender asked while looking at George's disheveled appearance.

George held up some money.

"What you drinking?" The bartender asked.

"Bourbon." George replied over the music, "Make it a double."

The Bartender nodded his head, poured the drink and slid it over to him. George eagerly accepted the bourbon that warmed his insides on the way down, replacing the liquor he threw up minutes ago. He placed some bills on the counter and proceeded deeper into the crowded bar. The former Captain's mind was a cloud of haze as the bourbon plus the numerous shots of liquor he had earlier in the day finally took full effect.

* * *

He bumped into a few tables earning more nasty looks from the couples at the table, but he didn't care. He knew he only needed to complete the task he had set his mind out to doing, and that was finding a missing girl by the name of Nadine Edmond.

Nadine was a nineteen year old young woman from Connecticut that had gone missing a few days ago. The police had already tried running down some leads but with Hydro-Man's attack on the city, everything was in state disarray and with looting, riots, not to mention the growing anti-mutant hysteria going on, the case of a missing girl was something that was bound to go slipping through the cracks.

* * *

He didn't even want to take the case but he needed money to pay his rent that was overdue.

After his daughter was murdered by Osborn he had almost lost the will to live. He had received some money from Oscorp as a settlement for the misdeeds of Norman Osborn courtesy of the new owner Jason Macendale, but he didn't want any money with the name Osborn attached to it so he gave it all away. He used most of his own personal money burying his daughter in a nice cemetery he could afford. It was a place that had great scenery, copious amounts of sunshine and well kempt grass. He visited her grave often, everyday in fact, spending all day just staring at the beautiful plaque, thinking how he had failed her. The despair that gripped him led to drinking and soon drinking became more important than working or paying the rent.

He thought about going back to work but he couldn't, it reminded him too much of his daughter, and how if he would have just put a bullet through Osborn's skull when he had the chance then she would still be alive. However any other job would be a waste of his time, but thanks to Terri she found a way to split the difference.

She would keep him on payroll as a consultant, using him for leads on cases or if needed handling cases that might have slipped through the cracks. This particular case was pretty personal for her but she could not work it, not with her work load since she was acting Captain.

* * *

George pulled out a notebook from his back pocket and he looked at the scribbled notes that he had written for himself. It was some of the info that Terri had given him to go on.

During her month and half long stay in New York, Nadine had become something of a party girl. She liked this particular bar more so than the others. She had made a few friends at least according to what Terri told him. He thought back to the description of man that Nadine was ' _dating'_ , a decent looking guy in his late twenties with dirty blonde hair, tan skin and a scruffy beard.

George spotted a few potentials and he groaned to himself.

' _I see three guys that could be Nadine's boyfriend. I think Terri said his name was Nick. Yeah it's Nick but which one is him is the question. If Nadine and this guy visited this bar as often as I think then maybe one of the bartenders or waitresses may know him.'_ George thought to himself.

* * *

He signaled one of the waiters, she was a young woman in her mid-twenties.

"Excuse me but I'm looking for someone named Nick. He's here all the time and he usually has a pretty girl on his arm and he might be something of a sleaze bag." Said George in a slightly slurred speech.

The waitress, who's name was Duchess, scoffed.

"Yeah, I know him. He always likes to grab my ass even though I'm not into him or men." She replied, "He's the frat boy with the green jacket down at the end of the bar." Duchess said.

"Thanks, could you give him a shot of bourbon for me, and tell him it's a gift from a friend of Nadine." Said George while grabbing some cash and giving it to her.

"Sure thing hon."

* * *

George smiled at her, while she went towards the bar to get the drink. He made is way to a table that had opened up, and on his way over he bumped into a young woman that was about his height but a little taller. She had dark hair, pale complexion but a very attractive face in spite of the deep scowl. She had a slim build that was covered by a black leather jacket, ripped blue jeans and black boots.

"Watch it gramps." She slurred.

George didn't' respond he simply watched her sway to the bar, order a drink and gulp it down. She ordered two more drinks before swaying deeper into the bar disappearing from sight.

* * *

He shook his head at the lack of respect in the younger generation but he tossed it from his mind and turned his attention back to the guy. He saw Duchess give him the drink and point in his direction. George waved to him before the music turned up and the small gap closed as the millennials danced harder.

' _I should've ordered another drink.'_ He thought to himself.

George had a hunch that he hoped was about to pay off. If Nick had anything to do with Nadine's disappearance then him mentioning that he was friend would not sit well with him. He would want to do some investigating on his own, and so all he had to do was sit and wait.

The seconds rolled into minutes and the bourbon was still taking effect. The noise of the bar drowned itself out, as did the pain and despair in his heart. All he felt was numb and all he heard was silence, which was fine with him. He closed his eyes trying hold onto the empty feeling and not the pain of loosing his only daughter. However the more he tried not to focus on her the more she came to mind.

' _My baby girl.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

The table he was sitting at suddenly rattled. George opened his eyes to see a young man in his late twenties staring back at him. It was Nick. The music began to die down to a soft lull and that's when he spoke.

"Who are you old man?" He asked.

"I'm George, and you must be Nick."

Nick leaned back in his seat.

"A little birdie told me that you ordered me a drink. I don't really like bourbon though."

"Your loss kid, where is Nadine Edmond?" George asked.

"I haven't seen her." Nick replied.

George instantly saw through the lie.

"Really, well I have a few sources that say different." He said calmly.

"You mean that stupid sister of her's, she doesn't know anything." Nick scoffed.

"I'd say she knew something if she's studying to be a neurosurgeon, she's a smart girl but she is not my source."

"Who's your source?" Nick asked.

"Where is Nadine? Either you tell me now or we'll have to get the police involved." Said George.

* * *

 **CRASHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** Came the sound of glass shattering. All eyes in the bar went towards a drunken dark haired woman who had a firm grip of the front of a man's shirt with him shoved into the wall. Even though he was about three hundred pounds she with one hand effortlessly raised him up so his feet were dangling off of the ground.

"Touch my ass again and I will rip your arm from the socket and beat you like a f****** piñata." She slurred angrily.

* * *

The owner of the bar rushed from out of the back. He saw what was happening and signaled to one of the bartenders who grabbed the shotgun that was strapped under the counter and tossed it to him. He cocked it back and aimed it at her.

"Hey, mutant freak your kind ain't welcomed here, so let him go and get the hell out." He said.

"I'm not a mutant." She replied, her voice still slurred.

"Whatever you are we don't want you here. Mutants or freaks like you are the reason why my neice and nephew are dead. Hydro-Man killed them, and I'm itching for some payback." He said.

"I'm not like him and freaks like me have protected all of you."

"You're all the same to me, now let him go!" he shouted.

* * *

She released her hold on the three hundred pound man and turned to face the man with shotgun trained on her.

"Get out."

The dark haired woman snatched the shot glass out the hand of a nearby woman and she downed it in one gulp. She handed her back the glass and started for the door.

"This bar sucks anyway." She slurred.

* * *

George looked away from her and back to Nick who was already at the door and about to walk out.

"Hey!" George shouted as he stood up. He swayed for a moment but once he got his footing he quickly followed after him.

* * *

 **Outside**

George turned to the right and chased after Nick, who ducked down an alley. George followed and found a fist waiting for him. He was already inebriated and his balance was off and so he easily went down to the ground. Nick hoisted him up by the front of his shirt and slammed him into dumpster, rattling it.

George felt the younger and stronger man lifted up his shirt for a second.

"No wire." Said Nick before rummaging through George's pockets until he found his wallet. He took the old leather and opened it and took out the license.

"George Stacy, who do you work for, and why are they after that stupid little b**** Nadine." He growled.

"She has people that are worried about her." George replied.

"As they should be, because New York is a dangerous place for young, pretty, naïve girls." Nick replied.

* * *

The scruffy bearded young man pulled out a knife. He was about to stab the former Captain when he felt a strong grip on his shoulders. He was shoved to the ground, landing with a hard thud.

"You like young, naïve girls do ya, why don't you show me how much." Came a very slurred but angry voice.

Nick rolled over to see the dark haired woman from the bar standing in front of George with a scowl on her face. She took a step forward and swayed, nearly falling over before regaining her footing.

"Stupid B****!" he yelled while scrambling to his feet.

* * *

Nick lunged with his knife, but she stood there un-moving.

"MOVE!" George yelled.

The knife hit the woman near the stomach and the blade snapped in half. He looked at the broken blade and back to the woman. She cocked her fist back and punched him in the face. The blow knocked out three teeth and sent him flying backwards, bouncing along the ground until landing in a pile of trash.

"Jackass." She said before turning to George.

* * *

She swayed a little, the world around her spinning.

"Are you okay?" George asked.

"I'm fine, are you o….are you o….." she started to say.

The dark haired woman suddenly lurched and vomited all over George's face and clothes. She chuckled a little and then promptly passed out, toppling over to the left. The former police captain wiped the vomit from his face and stared at the unconscious young woman.

"This is not how I pictured today going." He said to himself.

* * *

He stood to his feet wiping as much vomit off of himself as he could. He made his way over to Nick and he rummaged through the younger man's pockets until he found a cell phone, a wallet and a set of two keys that had the number three etched onto it. Once he secured the three items into his own pocket he walked to the woman that had vomited on him.

* * *

George reached into her jacket pocket and grabbed her wallet. He opened it and took out the license as well as a business card.

"Jessica Jones, private investigator, owner and proprietor of Alias Investigations."

He looked at the address on her license and realized that thankfully they were not too far away from her apartment. He could just leave her but the moment the thought came to mind it left him. She might be crazy strong but she was still human and right now she was vulnerable to anyone that might happen along or if Nick woke from his forced slumber.

George groaned to himself as he hefted her up over his shoulder. She was heavier than she looked, but he managed to make his way away from the alley and towards Jessica's apartment.

* * *

 **Elsewhere- Midtown**

Two Ape like men dressed in black stepped out of the stolen van and onto the solid beaten ground of an alley. One of them unhooked a device from the belt around his waist and squatted to the ground with it. The device resembled that of a Geiger counter however it was not configured to detect radiation.

"Anything?" the second Ape man asked.

"Yes, but the residual terrign energy is fading. You shall collect a sample here and from up there on the roof, I'm getting a much stronger signal and so I will collect it." Said the first Ape man.

"Be quick, we do not want to draw any attention." The second Ape man said.

* * *

The ape like man with the Geiger counter jumped into the air and sprang off the walls of the alley until he reached the roof where the battle between Peter and Hydro-Man occurred two weeks prior. He scanned the roof with the device until he located a spot with a strong residual signal. The ape man clipped the device back to his waste and he removed a vial of orange liquid from his pouch and poured it over the spot.

The orange liquid mixed with the dry spot on the cement and for a moment nothing seemed to happen until the liquid seeped into it and a second later vibrant blue water bubbled up from the cement. The Ape man scooped the dirty and bubbled blue water up, as much of it as he could into a container and he placed it within his pouch. He then made his way back to the edge and he jumped over.

* * *

 **Harlem: 10:30pm**

 **CLANNNNNNNNNNNNGGGG** came the sound of a few bottles falling and crashing to the ground. The loud noise caused Jessica Jones to stir from her drunken stupor. She opened her eyes and braced herself against the awful taste in her mouth as well as everything around her having a slight spin. She heard a few curses coming just beyond her closed bedroom door. It took her a moment to realize that no one but herself and her empty bottles of liquor should be in the barely livable apartment.

After that realization she was up from the bed swaying all the while heading towards the door but before she opened it her heart started to flutter.

' _What if it's him?'_ She thought to herself in terror, _'What if he's still alive and he's found me? I-I can't face him, I-I…'_

"Damn it all!" came the shout.

Jessica heard the voice but did not recognize it and so the fear that suddenly gripped her soul was lost. She opened the door.

* * *

 **Living room**

George looked up from his bloody hand and to Jessica who walked into the open room. He had his shirt off, and his left hand was clutching his right hand that was leaking blood from the broken bottle on the ground. Jessica raised an eyebrow.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked.

"I'm George."

"What the hell are you doing in my office George? We didn't sleep together did we?" she asked.

"No." he answered flatly.

"Thank God, you're a little too old for my taste." She said while walking over to the desk that was near the severely cracked window that was partially boarded up.

George scoffed and stood to his feet.

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

* * *

Jessica opened one of the drawers in her desk and bottle out a bottle of Maker's Mark whiskey and duct tape. She went to him and poured the liquor onto the cut. He gritted his teeth in response.

"It's clean now." She said before handing him the duct tape and then putting the bottle of liquor to her lips and downing some of it, "What are you doing here George and where is your shirt?"

"Not that you would remember, but you vomited all over my shirt in an alley. I brought you back to your apartment or office or whatever this sh**hole is and since I really can't stand the smell of vomit, I tried to get some of it out of my good shirt in your sink when I knocked over one of about a hundred bottles on your sink, and here we are."

* * *

Jessica took another swig of liquor before looking to a pile of clothes in the corner by her desk, where she spotted a T-shirt. She grabbed it and tossed it to him.

"You can have that, I think it belonged to a guy named Jeffery, or was it Rusty, anyway he left it here and I can't stand Rock N' Roll."

George put on the shirt after taping his wound. He looked at the shirt and smiled a little, when he saw the AC/DC logo.

"I liked this band. I saw them in concert once." He said.

"Good for you." She replied curtly "There's the door, see yourself out. I have a lot of work to do and little time to do it."

"Does your work have anything to do with a missing girl by the name of Nadine?" he asked.

* * *

Jessica looked up at him.

"No." she said.

"You're a terrible liar." He replied.

George reached into his pocket and he pulled out Nick's cell phone; he touched a few buttons and he saw a text message that he read earlier in the night.

" _Nick, some broad named Jessica came to my apartment asking about Nadine. Where is she? I told you not talk to her anymore! Call me back right now! Zane_." He read.

Jessica lead back in her seat and shook her head.

"That stupid little bastard lied to me." She growled to herself, "He said he only met Nick once but he had his number this whole time."

"Who?" George asked.

"Somebody I'm going to hit really really hard." She said.

"Look, little girl this is no game. I need you to hand over all the information you have so I can find this girl." He said.

"I'm not a little girl. I'm a private investigator, and I'm not gonna hand over my information to some old guy that smells like sh** that I just met five minutes ago. I told you to leave and if you don't leave I'll make you." She said.

* * *

George could see the look in her eyes and he knew that she meant it and he knew that she could. He thought to a couple of hours ago when she was drunk as a skunk and able to send the sleaze bag Nick flying. He could only imagine what she could do when partially sober or when fully sober.

George wanted to leave but she clearly had information that he needed, and so he decided to de-escalate the growing tension between the two of them.

"I'm George Stacy." He said.

* * *

Jessica looked at him for a long moment. He looked like a drunken vagabond but she had heard the name Stacy before and through the drunken haze his name came to the forefront of her mind.

"Captain George Stacy, of the NYPD?" she questioned.

"Former Captain George Stacy of the NYPD. I left or took an extended vacation after the….passing of my daughter." He said looking away from her and to the bottle of liquor that was sitting on the desk.

The bottle called to him and he wanted nothing more than to take it and finish it off but Jessica's voice stopped him from grabbing it.

"Gwendolyn Stacy. I remember reading about it in the Daily Bugle. She died in that fight between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin about a year ago."

"Yeah." He answered solemnly.

* * *

Jessica saw the change in mood, and she could hardly blame him. He had lost a child and loosing a child is never an easy thing. She followed his line of sight to the bottle of liquor and she slowly pushed it in his direction. He took it and down a bit of it, relishing in the taste and how numb it made him feel to the growing sadness at the mention of his daughter.

Jessica leaned back in her seat, she could see the misery and pain that the mention of his daughter caused him and it was because of that she quickly felt something of a connection, a kindred spirit because she too was in a world of misery and pain. And if there is one thing she knew, it was that misery loved company.

"So you're an ex-Cop." She said.

"Pretty much."

"Well I'm not just going to hand my info over to you even if you are an ex-cop. I'm a professional and I'm being paid for this case and so I'm in charge but I could use some help. I'm still relatively new to the investigation game."

"How long has, Alias Investigations been up and running?" George asked as he slid the bottle over to her.

"Three days." She said.

"HA!" George laughed, "You're still green as a blade of grass little girl."

"Cut the little girl bullsh**! I'm a grown ass woman!" she yelled.

"Oh really? How old are you?" He asked.

"Twenty-One…ish." She grumbled.

George could not contain his laughter. Jessica took another swig of her liquor before getting up and storming towards the door.

"Shut the f*** up and lets go. I've got someone to hit." She grumbled.

* * *

George turned to follow her out but stopped once he got a look at the picture that was on the semi-broken rack that was nailed into the wall. The picture was of the Avengers and in the middle was a young woman with pink hair and a white and pink costume. She had the biggest and prettiest smile upon her face. She looked truly happy and very familiar. He walked towards the picture and he picked it up to get a better look. He continued to look at the pink haired girl in the middle and through the hazy fog of drunkenness he was struck with a memory. He smirked to himself.

The former Captain put the picture down and hurried out of the door closing it behind himself. He was eager to get done with this case, so he could go home and pass out on the couch.

* * *

 **Elsewhere- Upper West Side**

Felicia Hardy, aka The Black Cat replayed the message on her cell phone once more before erasing it all together. It was her mother and sister telling her all about her father's funeral and burial in a beautiful cemetery in England. In the message there was an undertone of disappointment for her choosing to stay behind but she didn't care. She had already made her peace with her father's passing. She did not want to see him buried.

The Black Cat expertly clipped the security wire that ran to the alarm system inside the luxury condo. Once she was sure that the security system was disarmed she flexed her claws and slowly traced a circle along the glass and then pulled it out. She reached through the newly created hole and she undid the lock allowing herself access inside.

* * *

She doubted that her father wanted her be like them, sitting around sobbing and crying about him dying. She knew what he wanted was for her to live her life to the fullest and that is exactly what she was going to do and was currently doing. She loved being a thief. The thrill of scoping out sophisticated security, solving the puzzle of how to disarm it and finally she loved stealing things that was not hers. It was all an adrenaline rush that made her feel alive, yet now, it all felt a bit hollow.

Black Cat perused through the luxury condo trying to find something of worth, something that jumped out at her, but so far nothing was jumping out at her. She even passed by a piece of art that was worth at least two million on the black market. She loved being a thief but something about it was missing. The young thief plopped onto the couch and laid down and stared at the ceiling.

"What the heck is wrong with me?" she said to no one in particular _, 'Here I am doing what I love and for some reason the only thing I can think about is…..helping people.'_

Black Cat harbored on that last thought, and ever since her focus shifted to helping people instead being a thief, she reluctantly had to admit that she was beginning to like it. It too was an adrenaline rush but a different type of rush, and though it was different the rush was still addictive. Although she hated the thought of helping people considering she was all about helping herself, she could not deny how it made her felt.

 **WHOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOOO!**

* * *

Black Cat leaned up from the couch when she heard the sound of several fire trucks, police cars and an ambulance pass by the apartment. Her heart began to race at the thought of the trouble that was brewing.

"Damn it all." She said to herself.

Black Cat rushed from the couch and to the door she came through. She hopped onto ledge and leapt off, heading in the direction of the trouble.

* * *

 **A-Train: 10:45pm**

"So who are we going to see?" George asked, as he and Jessica stood side by side hanging onto the rail above them as the A-train continued along the lines.

"Zane." She replied.

"The guy that warned Nick about you following him."

"Yeah."

"How did you end up working this case?" George asked her.

"I caught this case from a friend of mine. Nadine is the sister of one of her best friends. Apparently Nadine two months ago told their parents that she was coming to New York for the summer and that she would be staying with her sister, my friend's friend, only the sister didn't know that Nadine was coming."

"So Nadine lied." Said George.

"Yes. She lied to everyone. The sister has been keeping her parents in the dark so as to not to cause them worry but like all parents, they found out, which is how I'm guessing you ended up on the same case right." Said Jessica.

"I'm actually working this case for a friend of mine. The parents reached out to her and she reached out to me." He said with small smile, "So we're in the same boat. How do Zane and Nick fit into the picture?"

"Well the sister, managed to track her down. Nadine only has one other friend in New York and that's Zane. They both went to the same High School but on graduation, he left and came here while she stayed. I asked him a few questions and all he said was that she was dating a guy named Nick and they liked to go to that shitty bar in my neighborhood."

"But now we know that not only do Zane and Nick know each other but both are keeping a secret. The question is why?" Said George.

* * *

The A-Train slowly came to stop.

"Well we're about to find out because this is our stop." Said Jessica.

* * *

 **Chelsea**

Jessica and George came to a stop in front of a high rise apartment building. The duo walked towards the alley where they briskly started up the fire escape.

"Any reason why didn't go through the front door?" George asked.

"Going up the fire escape brings a sense of adventure." She said dryly.

George groaned to himself at her response, ' _I should've had another drink before I left.'_ He thought.

* * *

Jessica came to a stop and she opened the window that belonged to Zane's apartment. The last time she was there she had noticed that it was open and she said a silent thank you to the powers that be that it was still open. She slipped through and the smell of blood hit her like a tsunami.

Once her eyes adjusted to the dark she looked around the darkened apartment to see a trail of blood as well as bloody footprints. The whole place was in a state of disarray with glass everywhere, broken chairs, and tables.

"What the hell happened here?" she whispered.

* * *

Jessica gasped a little at the sight of Zane's beaten and crumpled body on the floor behind the overturned couch. George came next to her and he pursed his lips into a tight line at the sight.

"A murder happened here." He said, "Watch where you step."

George moved passed her and he began to look around the crime scene. He looked at the blood splatters, the front door, the broken furniture, the foot prints in the floor and finally Zane's lifeless body.

"There was one attacker, and our buddy Zane knew him too." Said George.

"How can you tell?" Jessica asked.

"The door is bolted shut and not off the hinges. Zane let his attacker in and immediately the guy must have punched him because there's a tooth laying on the ground next to the door as well as some blood. The attacker comes in locks it back and goes to town on him."

"Just from the looks of things this was a loud murder and no one called the cops." Said Jessica.

* * *

George shook his head.

"I'm sure they called the cops but manpower has been a little limited if you haven't noticed. We're living in a post-Hydro-Man era. He caused a lot of chaos and the city is still feeling it. And the girls and boys in blue are hard pressed to keep a lid on things."

Jessica opened her mouth to respond when they both heard the sound of the toilet flushing. The two of them looked towards the bathroom door as it opened and Zane's killer stepped out.

* * *

He was tall; about six foot six with blonde hair that was cut into a flattop, blue eyes, and a scar that ran diagonally across his face. He had a thick broad shouldered build, thick bulging muscles that was covered by a tin red and white pinstriped shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. There was blood splattered across his shirt and jeans as well as a few specs that adorned his face.

The killer looked between George and Jessica and he smiled, showing his silver front teeth to them.

"More playthings for me to break." He said in a thick Russian accent.

"Oh Shit." Said George.

* * *

The Russian quickly closed the distance between him and the former Captain. He was fast for a person his size and height. The mountain of a man grabbed George by the front of his shirt and yanked him in for a head-butt to the face.

 **RUUUUUUUNCHHH!** Came the sound of his nose breaking, which splashed some blood on the ground. The smiling killer raised him up over his head and effortlessly threw him across the room where he smacked into the wall and landed with a thud.

"Captain Stacy!" Jessica shouted but she couldn't check on him because she had to dive out of the way of the Russian killer who charged at her. He turned to her and she threw an awkward punch that was easily caught. The Russian lifted her up by her arm until she was off of her toes.

"You are strong little girl, but I am stronger." He said.

The Russian killer punched her in the stomach making all the wind leave her lungs before throwing her to the left send her crashing through a wall.

 **BAMMMM!** Came the sound of her busting through the far wall and into Zane's bedroom.

* * *

George could taste the blood in his mouth but he could hardly dwell on it as the shadow of the hitman came to his attention. He looked up to see him smiling that silver smile. The Russian bent down and grabbed him and threw him up to the ceiling and then stepping out of the way, he let him crash to the ground. The Russian killer laughed heartily as he grabbed George by the back of his shirt and did it again.

"I was only paid to kill Zane tonight, but I'm having too much fun to quit at one." He said.

George groaned to himself as he tried to crawl away, it spite of his internal organs protesting against moving.

* * *

The Russian watched him crawl. He raised his foot and placed it on George's head and began to press.

"AHHH!" George cried out.

"Hey!"

The Russian assassin looked up and through the hole Jessica's body made. He saw her holding Zane's bed in her hands. The Russian smirked.

"What are you going to do with that little girl?"

"I'M NOT A LITTLE GIRL YOU IVAN DRAGO REJECT!" she shouted before throwing the bed with all her might. The bed bashed through the wall and kept flying towards the hitman.

The bed smashed into the Russian assassin but he caught it and threw it through the window she and George came through.

"I told you I am stronger than you!"

* * *

The assassin laughed which only angered the former superhero. She forced herself to focus, the haze of drunkenness began to lift and with that intense focus she levitated several inches off of the ground. She leaned her body forward flew directly towards the Russian.

 **BAMMMMMMMMMMM!** Came the sound of her hitting him and carrying through the wall and to the apartment behind them, spraying brick, wood and few specs of blood all over the place.

* * *

George felt the weight of killer lifted from his head. He turned to the side and spit out some blood. He groaned to himself.

"Come on old man, get up. You're halfway drunk anyway so it shouldn't hurt that bad." He coached to himself.

The former Captain reached towards his ankle and he removed the revolver from its holster. He pulled the hammer back and he crawled his way over to the giant hole in the wall.

* * *

 **Adjacent apartment**

Jessica socked the Russian in the face cutting him a little but he did not register it. He returned the punch, it hurt but the liquor in her system numbed it down enough to where she was able to keep on fighting. She traded powerful body breaking blows with him and continued to do so until her last punch knocked one of his teeth out and sent him stumbling back.

The Russian assassin spit blood from the gaps and gritted his still remaining teeth in anger.

"That hurt." He said.

"Good." Jessica replied.

The Russian reached into his pocket and he pulled a bag full of red pills.

"Now I will kill you." He said.

 **POW! POW! POW!** Came the sound of the gun fire.

* * *

The Russian looked down to see that none of the bullets had hit him. He then looked over towards George who was leaning on the wall.

"Sonuva bitch." George grumbled.

"You missed." He said in his thick Russian accent.

"But I won't!" Jessica yelled.

She flew into him shoulder first; line a fullback making a block. The force carried him out of the window and sent him falling down below.

"Bastard." She whispered as she collapsed to the ground breathing heavily.

Jessica glanced to feet and she saw the bag of red pills on the ground.

"You okay?" George asked.

"No." Jessica replied, "That guy was crazy strong."

"Yeah, I know. Sonuva bitch broke my nose and I'm pretty sure I have internal bleeding. Look we have to see if we can find anything in Zane's apartment before the police get here. Gunshots tend to get attention."

* * *

George fought against the pain that assaulted his body; he forced himself to his feet. He knew that once the police were here that there was a chance that the evidence they needed to find Nadine could be lost. A rookie could accidentally touch something altering prints or maybe one of the cops were dirty and would take a crucial piece of needed evidence. It has happened more times than he would like to admit but in knowing that he quickly began to search through Zane's apartment.

He threw books off the shelves looking for something anything that would lead them to the next clue. After searching the living room and the bed room, George found himself in Zane's bathroom. He opened up containers, drawers, everything. He was about to leave when he spotted the shower head. George coughed before he went to the shower head and began to unscrew it. The moment the shower head was off a plastic bag with a flash drive fell out and into his hand.

"Bingo." He said.

* * *

The former Captain made his way out of the bathroom and to Zane's laptop that was on the desk. Jessica had climbed through hole she made and was limping her way over to him.

"Did you find anything." She asked.

"I think so." He said.

* * *

George turned on the laptop, and waited for it to boot up. Jessica leaned on the desk still groaning to herself. She happened to glanced down into one of the open drawers and spotted a bottle of Jim Beam tucked away. She reached for it but was too slow because George grabbed it first.

He popped open the bottle and he took a long gulp before handing it to her.

"So what's your deal? "He asked, "You're not a mutant but clearly you're not the complete definition of normal."

Jessica smirked while taking the bottle from his hands.

"Let's just say, I used to be a superhero." She said.

"Which one?"

"Not one you would remember…not one anyone seems to remember, except maybe one guy." She replied solemnly before downing some of the liquor.

* * *

George took his attention away from the mysterious young woman and he looked at the laptop. He put the flash drive in and he quickly started to search through the files. He found a lot of explicit pictures of Zane and several women but a couple of files caught his attention out of the others.

"Hormone Compounds. Human trial runs. Roxxon Corporation." He read.

"Roxxon, the chemical company?" Jessica questioned.

She looked around Zane's desk to see some of his mail laying around. She picked up some of it and shifted through it and her eyes landed on a piece of mail from Roxxon.

"Looks like Zane was employed by them." She said, while handing George the mail.

He took it and opened it. George read over the mail and he leaned back in the seat.

"Something interesting?" Jessica asked.

"It seems Zane was something of a chemist as well, which would explain some of these files here."

Jessica was about to take another swig of liquor however George grabbed it from her and began to drink it himself. She watched as he pulled up another file from the flash drive, which was labeled new compound.

"What the hell is this, MGH." Said George.

* * *

Jessica saw the chemical compound for MGH and the picture of the pill at the bottom of the screen. She reached into her jacket pocket and she dropped the pills the Russian assassin intended to swallow before she knocked him out of the window. George grabbed the bag of pills and he looked at it and then the screen again.

"Our Russian friend dropped that. So I guess it's safe to say that Roxxon is dirty." Said Jessica.

"Maybe." George replied, "But we need more info. Investigation is all about crossing both the I's and the T's, evidence. We can't make any assumptions until we have all the facts, right now everything is circumstantial. We need more and I think I know where to get it." He said.

"Where?" Jessica asked.

"I have to call a friend, well not really a friend but someone who has their ear to the ground for suspicious things, especially things concerning big corporations like Roxxon."

* * *

 **Midtown- 45 minutes Later**

Jessica and George both lightly jogged up the steps from the subway and looked around the semi-empty midtown street. There were still several night owls roaming around looking for a good time, but they were of no concern to the two of them. After making an anonymous phone call to the police about Zane's murder they hoped a train and had arrived at the spot George's mysterious friend had told them to meet.

"Hey, enough with the secrecy just tell me who we're meeting." Jessica demanded.

* * *

George looked in her direction.

"An important part of investigation Jessica is knowing when you need help or a fresh set of eyes to look at a case. Considering that we've just stumbled onto something bigger than just tracking down Nadine and pulling her away from some jackass. We've got a dead body, a hired assassin, mysterious pills and a dirty chemical company. We have clues but we're at a dead end and so like a said we need someone with their ear to the ground, someone who can give us some much needed info."

"Ear to the ground and information." Jessica repeated, "You mean like a cop or an informant or a reporter?"

"Exactly and since all the cops are preoccupied, our last informant was murdered, we need a reporter but not just any reporter, but an investigative reporter who is damn good at his job." Said George while pointing to a blue car that was down the road.

* * *

Jessica let a look of recognition cross her features as she spotted Ben Urich stepping out of a blue car. She knew him or at least she did when she was a superhero. They had met maybe once or twice and from what she could tell he was an intense man but he wasn't after fame, or fortune or distorting of the facts, all he was interested in was telling the truth and for that she respected him.

Ben flicked his cigarette away as George and Jessica both came towards the car.

"Captain Stacy, you look like hell." He said.

"Thanks and It's just George, Ben. I'm not the Captain anymore." He replied.

Ben nodded his head and then turned to Jessica; for a moment it looked as if he recognized her but the moment passed. She was different from when the last time they met and so she didn't really expect him to know who she was without her uniform, or costume as she now called it.

"Who's the kid?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that." George replied nodding towards the person in the passenger's seat in the blue car.

The car door opened out stepped Indy Daimonji, she waved to George.

"Nice to see you again Captain." She said.

"She's my protégé." Said Ben.

George turned to his companion and opened his mouth but she beat him to the introduction.

"I'm Jessica." She said to which Ben nodded.

* * *

The hard-nosed reporter reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He took one out and lit it and blew out the smoke.

"You called me?" he said.

George nodded his head.

"Yeah, we're working something and I need help. I can't call Terri because she's a bit busy so you'll all I got."

"I'm flattered."

Jessica cleared her throat.

"We're trying to find a missing girl, her name is Nadine Edmond. We thought she was with some boyfriend but it's turning into something more." She said.

"More?" Ben repeated.

"Yeah, she was here in New York apparently staying with a friend who was not so friendly. Her friend worked possibly on the books or off the books for Roxxon. He's a chemist from best we can tell and we found some of his files about something called MGH. It might be a new street drug or something. We were hoping you could tell us anything about it?" said George.

* * *

Ben looked towards Indy, and the color fell from her face a bit. Ben blew out more of the smoke from the cigarette and he shook his head.

"George you and Jessica have just stumbled onto something that you wish you would have left alone. Couple of months ago I get a call, anonymous of course, but she told me to me to meet her up in the Bronx. This informant tells me a story about something sinister. MGH. It's definitely not for the street but it's very dangerous new drug. It's something the government has been cooking up."

"And Roxxon has ties to the government." Said Indy "As of right now Roxxon Corporation is the only reputable company on the market in New York that has the means to create new drugs and try experiments. Oscorp is going through changes thanks to Jason Macendale, Fisk Inc is under close investigation thanks to both Vanessa and Wilson being the Kingpin, and The Hardy Foundation is too squeaky clean for the amount of dirt this MGH thing needs to be covered with. And Stark has too much of a conscious for this type of thing."

"My informant goes on to tell me more things but so far I have not been able to prove anything. Everything she tells me is circumstantial and any good investigator knows that…."

"Evidence is key." Said Jessica, glancing in George's direction.

"It's one of the many stories we're working on, trying to build momentum." Said Indy, "This story, and hey have you guys heard anything about giant rats in the sewers."

"That's a myth." Ben snapped

"So are giant men in purple helmets that call themselves Galactus, oh wait, that's not a myth."

Ben gave her a look.

* * *

Jessica reached into her pocket and she removed the pills that she took off of the Russian assassin. She placed the pills on the hood of Ben's car.

"Here's your evidence." She said.

Ben looked at the pills. He grabbed a napkin out of the car and he reached into the bag and he removed a couple of them. He then balled them up and placed them in his pocket.

"I'll have one of my guys analyze it and see what's what and I'll get back to the two of you." He said.

* * *

Jessica shook her head.

"Not good enough, there is a girl out there missing. We need to find her." She said.

"Hate to break this to you tall, dark, and gorgeous but the girl you're looking for, Nadine she's probably dead."

George, Jessica and Ben whipped towards Indy.

"I know that sounds a bit callous but what my mentor casually glossed over was that his informant also told him that MGH was short for Mutant Growth Hormone. A hormone that is harvested from mutants…dead mutants."

* * *

Ben handed Jessica the bag of pills and he signaled for Indy to get into the car. He then turned to George and Jessica and he nodded his head to them.

"We're both chasing the same thing, but a word of advice, be careful. Anytime big business is involved in something shady the outcome tends to get bloody."

"We'll keep that in mind." Said George.

Ben got into the car and closed the door. He and Indy drove away into the night leaving Jessica and George alone on the street.

* * *

George let out a long sigh as he processed the information that Ben and Indy had laid upon them.

"I need a drink." He said.

"You and me both." She replied, "Mutant Growth Hormone, well that explains a lot."

"Yes, it does. I'm thinking our girl Nadine finds out she's a mutant. She can't tell her parents or her sister and so she goes to the only person she can trust."

"Zane." Said Jessica, "She thinks she can trust Zane, seeing as how they were close in High School, but Zane has changed and hooked up with the wrong people, with Roxxon."

"Zane tells Roxxon about Nadine or maybe they found out on their own and maybe they tell him to bring her in but he gets second thoughts about it. And that's where Nick comes in. He's a young and handsome guy who Nadine would go for. He takes her out shows her a good time gets her to trust him and then he leads her away." Said George.

"Zane gets wind of it, gets upset maybe threatens to expose Roxxon if they hurt Nadine and they send the Russian out to kill him." Jessica finishes.

George runs his fingers through his hair.

"What do we do?" Jessica asked.

* * *

George looked towards the street and saw a Taxi heading in their direction.

"Taxi!" he shouted.

* * *

 **Alias Investigations- Jessica's Apartment**

George sat down in the chair that was by the bedroom and he let another long sigh. Jessica went towards her desk where she grabbed her bottle of whiskey. She took a swig of it.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We only have two options really. Option one, we do nothing, let it go and tell our respective friends that we couldn't find Nadine. They'll be upset, sad, and maybe disappointed in us but we will save them."

"Save them from what?" Jessica asked.

"Options two. We follow the rabbit hole and see how far it goes. It'll either lead us to Nadine or to something else entirely. Ben was right about big business and shady sh** like this, kidnapping, killings and drugs. It leads to a big f****** mess."

"Where's a superhero when you need one." She whispered.

"Well, I'm looking at one right now." Said George.

* * *

Jessica glanced in his direction and she took a long swig from the bottle.

"That was a while ago, I'm not that person anymore and even if I was it would take more than me to get to the bottom of this. I can hold my own but we don't know how many people Roxxon has on the payroll who has taken the MGH; that assassin was tough as sh** and if we run into another one or more than one we need more than just me." She said.

"We need the Avengers."

"No. The Avengers don't give a f*** for sh** like this, trust me I've worked with them." She said, "Plus, something like this would have too much red tape, and they only care about the big picture. We need heroes who are little bit closer to the ground, who could care less about red tape. People who are street level and will get sh** done, we need Luke Cage, or Daredevil or Misty Knight. I could call them but…."

"But what?" George asked.

"But it would involve me explaining some things, where I've been for the past year and change, and what happened to me. It's not a story I want to talk about for personal reasons, but…..f***."

* * *

George saw the dark look that passed across her features. He had been trying to figure her out all night and the look told him that whatever she experienced to make her quit was something that was painful, scary and soul shattering. He watched her put down the bottle and reach for the phone that was on her desk.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm making a couple of calls, there's a lost girl out there that needs help, even though my life is in shambles and pretty f***** sucktastic." She said.

"My life isn't much better either." George replied.

"She still needs our help."

* * *

George smirked as he stood to his feet and headed towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked.

"First, I'm going home to change my clothes and get cleaned up and then I'm going to go find us another hero. We're going up against Roxxon so you can't have too many. So before you do anything, I want you give me a couple of hours and I'll be back, with or without him."

George headed towards the door and when he opened it he stopped and he turned back towards Jessica who was looking at him.

"I'm sorry for whatever it was that happened to you to make you quit, but I'm glad to see that it didn't completely break you. I'm glad to see there's still a bit of **Jewel** left in the tank."

George flashed her a smile. She looked stunned for a moment but it passed and she nodded her head towards him and then he was gone.

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review:** **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with another new chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. I know it was a bit wordy and long but I wanted the mystery to unfold naturally instead of me rushing it along.**

 **I've been thinking about this particular chapter for a while now. At first it was just George and then it was just Jessica but then I figured why not have both of them. She's still new to the investigative game and he's an old investigator/detective who's kinda down on his luck a bit, not to mention they are both going through some really tough issues with the central issue being some sort of loss.**

 **And this chapter is an interlude but it also serves as a bridge to another arc that I've been keeping close to the chest and that is the Defenders. The Defenders are coming up and just in time for the new series too. My timing is uncanny lol. Although there is one more bridging chapter of sorts but it's still essential to the story.**

 **I will keep the comments short so I can get to the next chapter. I know this one was a bit behind schedule but it is a bit of a long chapter though. Hopefully it was worth the wait. Until next time readers. Nomad88.**

* * *

 **Next up: To be or not to be Spider-Man that is the question.**

* * *

 **Summary: Peter Parker has an important decision to make and Black Cat, George Stacy and a surprise guest all help him with his decision. Jessica reaches out to her old crew but she runs into trouble that starts with a capital R.**


	9. To be Or not To be Spider-Man

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with another awesome chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed the small interlude. This story is so huge and the characters so diverse that interludes are going to be in and out, just like the last two volumes. George and Jessica are important to the story. They kinda have their ear to the ground for a lot of things that may turn up in the future. Anyway back to the main story. I'm going to stop talking but before I go please remember to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: To Be or Not to be Spider-Man**

 **Queens: Watson Household- 11:45pm**

The Black Cat carefully picked the lock to the back door of the modest home and she easily let herself inside. The young thief quietly groaned to herself as she stealthily made her way through the small kitchen and into the nicely decorated living room. She had twisted her ankle earlier in the night. After leaving the high rise apartment and chasing after the fire trucks and sirens, she ended up running right into a five alarm fire.

The fire was started because of turf war between an all girl gang known as Arsenic Candy, the Dragon Tail gang as well as a new masked vigilante on the streets calling himself Arachnoman. She had arrived just in time to save them all from being blown up, but in the process sprained her ankle.

Black Cat shook her head as she thought about how Arachnoman had yelled at her for saving his life. It was while she was saving him that she twisted her ankle.

' _If I were the fashion police I would lock that idiot up for the rest of his idiotic life. Arachnoman, give me a freakin break. Stupid and Ridiculous name.'_ She thought to herself.

* * *

Black Cat focused her attention back to the task at hand which was finding something that would lead her to Spider-Man. The young thief continued to move around the living room spotting dozens of pictures of Mary Jane on the wall. She stopped at one and scoffed.

"She thinks she's so cute, please, I got her beat by a mile." She said to herself.

She rolled her eyes at another picture before continuing on her trek through the house until she spotted some mail that was in a drawer by the door. Black Cat went to the drawer and opened it, where she started to shift through it.

"Bill. Bill. Bill. Bill." She whispered.

Black Cat shoved the mail back into the drawer.

' _What am I looking for? I think I'll know it when I see it. Your little red-headed friend knows where you are Spider and she's going to tell me.'_ She thought to herself.

* * *

Black Cat started up the stairs that lead to the second story of the two story house. Once she was upstairs she could hear light snoring coming from one of the rooms. She peaked inside the room to see a woman in her fifties sleeping peacefully. Black Cat backed out of the room, closing it behind her.

' _Not the room I want.'_ She thought.

She sniffed the air and she smelled a sweet scent. She followed the scent to the room across the hall.

"I know that smell. It's the sweet smell of November by the Model in you, Vogue magazine, page twenty-five. She's got good taste."

Black Cat opened Mary Jane's door and entered the empty room. Mary Jane was away at College living in one of the dorms at Empire State University. And with her away it gave Black Cat the opportunity to go through every inch of her room, searching for a clue, any type of clue that would lead her to Peter.

* * *

Cat looked through all the magazines; she looked under the bed, under the mattress, and even in the closest. Black Cat grabbed one of the outfits and put it against her frame and looked at herself in the mirror.

"I think I could make this work, nah, I'm not desperate or poor." She said to herself as she put the outfit back and continued to look around.

After another few minutes she sat down and Mary Jane's bed and she leaned against the bed-frame.

"Come on red, I know you've got something here that will lead me to him, but the question is what is it and where did you hide it." She whispered to herself.

Black Cat glanced to her left and spotted an old cell phone on the beside table. It was cracked, and chipped, looking almost as if it been through a battle. She picked it up and looked at the port on the bottom.

Black Cat reached into one of the pouches on her waist and she removed a small device that she clipped to the bottom of the phone. It beeped for a second before the phone slowly started to recharge.

"Thank you eggheads at the Hardy Foundation."

She only had to wait a few minutes before the phone had a half-way decent charge. She easily cracked the security code for the phone; the password was Spider. Black Cat rolled her eyes.

"Freakin fan girl." She said.

Black Cat immediately went to Mary Jane's recent calls from that cell phone. She saw several calls to the same number. The young thief took out her own phone and she dialed the numbers.

* * *

 **RING! RING! RING! CLICK!**

" _Thank you for choosing Ravencroft, our current hours of operations are from 8 am to 8pm. If you're calling about a particular patient or patients please provide name, relation and a callback number and we will get back to you at the earliest convenience."_

Black Cat hung up the phone and immediately pulled up a map on her phone. She typed in the name Ravencroft and an address and location was provided.

"Gotcha." She said with a smile.

* * *

 **Location Unknown- Underground Facility**

Justin Hammer, current CEO of the Roxxon Corporation, stoically wiped the specs of blood from his face. He watched as his _'associate'_ of sorts beat his Russian assassin to death. The Russian tried to fight back but his associate was stronger, faster and motivated by something deeper than money which was something he could respect. And if there was one thing that he, Justin Hammer valued more than money it was respect, something that his name was severely lacking.

For too long he has always been the butt of every joke in the privileged circles he belonged to. From the beginning he had a dream. Hammer Industries, the company that was going to build tomorrow. At twenty-one he achieved his dream of creating Hammer Industries, and the joy of that dream last all about five minutes before Howard Stark came along with Stark Industries and put his technology to shame. He fought as best as he could but every year his stock fell and it only continued to fall once OsCorp got up and running, followed by Fisk and then the Hardy Foundation. There were other companies out there that took part in the downfall of Hammer Industries but the true coup de grace came from his own hand.

He made a dirty deal to bring in a shipment of stolen military grade guns. The deal would have given him enough money to stay in the game until the following year. However, the deal went sour, and there a bust where his name was implicated. The shipment of guns was not the only thing being smuggled. There were women and children and whole lot more trouble than he wanted. The lawyers and money he burned through almost put him into bankruptcy, his marriage suffered as did his relationship with his daughter.

* * *

Justin wiped some more blood off of his face as his associated ripped the Russian's arm off of his body and threw it across the room. The scream that filled the storage facility they were in would have been heard for miles if it were not for the heavily insulated walls. He wanted to feel sorrow but for so long he had been disrespected that he no longer felt sorrow for anything other than his wounded pride and ego.

He remembered that on the verge of loosing everything there was only one olive branch offered and it turned out to be from the mastermind that orchestrated his bad deal and that was Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime. Wilson told him he could make everything go away but in order to do that he would have to kill Hammer Industries, and he would do that by merging his company with a start up company Fisk was building and that was Roxxon.

Roxxon was a front company for Wilson Fisk, an extra side endeavor that would fund his vast criminal empire. It would look too suspicious if Fisk started another company and so he needed a figure head or a puppet. All decision would be made by Fisk while he would be acting CEO with essentially no power. Justin hated the idea but he needed the stink of that deal he did to go away and so he agreed. Afterall, money was fickle, it could come and go but a name could last forever.

* * *

Hammer Industries was no more in a matter of months but he had managed to keep a few factories open under his name thanks to the deal he made with Fisk, just to save some pride but he was not running it, it was being run by someone else. It angered him that he was nothing more than a puppet and had been a puppet for so long but fortune had smiled upon him, briefly.

Wilson Fisk had been exposed as the Kingpin and his empire crumbled. When he had heard his wife Vanessa had taken over he had expected her to swoop in and continue his work but she never came and it became apparent to him that Fisk never told her about his most well kept secret. And so with the eyes of the Kingpin elsewhere he began to work to bring his name from the chuckled whispers and to the respectful tone that it need be said within.

* * *

Justin knew that there was no bringing Hammer industries back and so he would make Roxxon his own. The Kingpin had been gone for some time and in that time he had brought the spotlight back to himself. Roxxon was now on the map as a legitimate chemical company and the respect he deserved was nearly on its way however like Icarus flying too close to the sun, everything he desired was in jeopardy of crashing and burning and it was thanks to incompetence and treachery.

Justin watched as his associated threw the Russian assassin to his feet.

"P-P-Please..." The Russian begged.

"You let some girl and an old man get their hands on the MGH and you expect me to show you mercy!" Justin snapped harshly.

"She was a m-mutant. Strong." He gasped.

"And what are you." Justin growled in anger.

He stomped on the Russian assassins' bloody head which earned a groan of pain. He moved away and ran his hands through his graying blonde hair.

"I am so close! So close to having something for me that I can f***** taste it!" he yelled, "Here I am on the verge of greatness and I am being torn down by a whistleblower, a stupid boy and an incompetent Assassin."

* * *

Justin turned his eyes away from the barely living assassin and to the Whistleblower, a young female assistant that was working closely with him and the MGH program. He had trusted her and was beginning to see a future with her but she ruined it when she let her bleeding heart get the best of her. In the beginning it was hard for him to watch his associate extract information from her but in the end she told him everything, what she knew and who she had told.

It pained him, briefly but he reminded himself of all the times he was made to get on his knees and kiss Fisk's ring, and the pain went away. He looked away from her and to Nick who was few feet away. He was laying on the ground with his neck snapped and his head turned backwards so his face was facing his back. It was a gruesome scene but again the hate he felt steeled his heart.

Nick arrived a few hours ago talking about an old man and a girl that knocked him out and stole his phone, which no doubt had several key numbers that should not be out in the public. And finally he turned his eyes back to the assassin, who was also bested by an old man and a girl that could possibly be a mutant.

* * *

Justin nodded his head to his associate. A scaly curved tail with a red stinger at the end flashed forward and jammed itself into the Russian throat, thus killing him instantly. The bloody stinger removed itself and the tail slithered back to its owner, Justin's associate, MacDonald 'Mac' Gargan aka **the Scorpion**.

* * *

The Scorpion flicked the blood from his sharp clawed hands and he stepped towards Justin who had a look of worry upon his face.

"So what do we do now?" he asked in that thick Brooklyn accent.

"We have to nip this in the bud immediately before it really spirals out of control." Justin replied "We can still salvage this project. We just have to remove these new obstacles, This Jessica woman and her old man partner."

"And the reporter your broad talked to, Urich." Scorpion added.

Justin gave him a glare.

"Yes, him too." He replied "Urich will be the easiest to find, he's a reporter for the Daily Bugle, you have to get to him quickly because he has access to the media and a spotlight on us is something we can not afford right now. I thank God that I didn't tell her about you and so he'll never see you coming. Now this Jessica and this old man will be a bit harder to find."

"I can find 'em." Scorpion replied "Pretty boy Nick said he got a look at the guy's ID said his name was George Stacy. I only know of one guy named Stacy that fits the description and he works for the NYPD. He's actually one of the Captains."

"Damn it!" Justin cursed.

"I'll take care of it. I'll take care of all of 'em. I'll start tonight; you just make sure you keep things running because I don't want you going back on our little deal. I've held up my end for the past six months." The Scorpion said.

"I know Gargan. I know, and I'm doing my best to locate your ex-wife and your kids, it just takes time. We will both get what we want but in order to do that we need this MGH project to go our way, and that means no mistakes. My partners are becoming impatient but I do not want any mistakes and the formula is not quite right yet. We need more subjects."

"I don't know nothing about this science mumbo jumbo okay. If we're gonna nip this thing in the bud, I need to leave now, but I need some guys to go with me." Said Scorpion.

"I'll make a few calls to my partners." Justin replied.

The Scorpion nodded towards him and started for the exit but Justin's voice caught his attention one last time.

"Gargan, bring them all to me alive first. I need to know who they told or if they said anything."

"Now that might get a little loud but fine. I'll bring em all in alive." He said before turning and leaving.

* * *

 **Ravencroft-** **2:30am**

Peter shifted in the bed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. It seemed as if sleep was eluding him. He tried his hardest but no matter what he did he could not sleep. The young teen sat up in the bed and he swung his legs over the side. The events of Hydro-Man were still on his mind. The watery villain was one of the many loose ends that he had left dangling before he quit being Spider-Man and it seemed that with the wall-crawler gone Hydro-Man had found a way to not only become one of the biggest threats the city has ever seen but potentially the biggest threat the world could ever possibly know.

It was thanks to the mysterious voice in his head and luck that he managed to be there in the nick of time, to change the tide of the fight, save his friends and defeat the seemingly all powerful villain.

At the thought of that, he knew exactly what was keeping him up. He turned to the window as the sound of sirens filled the night. Peter got up and he walked towards the door.

* * *

 **Roof**

Peter gently closed the door to the roof of the Ravencroft facility and he went towards the ledge, where he could hear the sirens in the distance a bit better. He closed his eyes and just listened.

' _How many other loose ends are still out there?'_ He thought to himself.

The wind was a bit heavy and it blew at his back almost as if it was nudging him to jump over the edge and swing off into the distance like he used to do, and a part of him wanted to do just that but he couldn't, something still kept him rooted in place. Peter closed his eyes trying to block out the sounds and it was then he felt a familiar feeling creeping up on him; the hairs on the back of his neck stood up; goosebumps ran down the back of his spine and his arms as he became aware of everything around him. He cracked open an eye as his spider-sense nudged him ever so slightly.

' _Spider-sense but I'm not in danger, no it feels like, I'm being watched and it's coming from….'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Peter turned around and there standing behind him under the moonlight was the scarlet clad **Daredevil**. He narrowed his eyes a bit as he stared at his mentor and brother in arms of sorts.

"You didn't even notice I was here Pete. I think you've gotten soft." Said Daredevil,

"It's nice to see you too Matt." Peter replied, "How are the injuries."

"I'll live." He replied.

Daredevil walked towards him and leaned on the spot next to him.

"Nice night." He said.

Peter turned to look out into the city.

"I suppose." Peter replied.

"Thanks by the way, for the save out in Brooklyn." Said DD

"You would have done the same for me." He said.

Daredevil hung his head a little and he just listened. He could hear the slow thumping of Peter's heart beat. Another set of sirens wailed in the night and he heard Peter's heart skip a beat for a moment. The slow thump turned to a paced gallop that only slowed when the sirens faded away into the distance and it brought a smile to his face. The hero he knew was still in there, buried beneath the sorrow and that hero was itching to be free.

* * *

Daredevil knew first hand everything Peter was going through, which is one of the reasons why he gave him his space, and his time to heal. When he disappeared he spent months looking for him and finally found him at Ravencroft, but it was by pure chance that he did so. He had gone on a date with one of the doctors, and Peter's scent caught his attention. Daredevil wanted to approach him but he thought back to his own brief period of leaving the world of vigilantism…or justice behind, eventually he came back, just like he knew his protégé would come back. The urge was there, he could sense it but the finally push had yet to come.

"So what made you come running back, since you've been away there have been a few near death experiences. What made this one so different and how did you know we were there."

"I came because this one was more of a certain death than a near one. And a mysterious voice in my head that sounds like Helen Mirren told me all of you were in trouble. And I'll tell you like I told Cage, it was an isolated incidence. I'm not back."

"Your heart says something different." Said DD, "And a mysterious voice in your head? That's sounds very weird."

"You're telling me. I mean even when I'm out of the game my life still gets weird as hell."

"Are you sure you're out of the _'game'_?" DD asked.

"And there it is." Said Peter.

* * *

He scoffed and looked away from him. Daredevil heaved a heavy sigh and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I didn't come here to convince you to come back to finish the good work that we both started, that is something you'll have to convince yourself to do. I just came here to say thanks."

Daredevil hopped onto the ledge and he pulled his Billy club from its holster.

"I'll see you around Pete."

"Wait, DD before you go tell me something. Are you still trying to be the Kingpin?" he asked.

"Yes. If the underworld needs a Kingpin then that's what they'll get, but it is proving to be difficult to achieve, especially with Fisk back and out of prison. The Owl is still out there too."

"And Mr. Negative." Peter added, "He's the one with the demon masked weirdo's, I was chasing before…before Spider-Man went away."

"I know who he is and he's bad news like the rest of them and as you saw he's vying for the vacant slot Vanessa left." DD replied, "I have to go, there's a drunken lowlife yelling at his wife and son a couple of blocks away from here. They're terrified and it's only a matter of time before he starts hitting them. And I want to be there, but before I go one last thing. I never told you this, but you should know that the crusade will never end and the cost is high but we can't let that stop us from trying."

In a blink of an eye he was gone. Peter stood there, a part of him wanted to hop over the ledge with Daredevil and swing off to save the poor woman and her son, but he stayed put, something still kept him rooted.

He ran his hand through his hair as he sat down, and while leaning against the ledge he continued to listen at the sirens in the distance.

* * *

 **Across Town**

Former Captain George Stacy let the warm water wash over his dirty, grimy, bloody and bruised body. He washed the dried blood away from his face and gingerly touched his broken nose. He would have gone to the emergency room but too many questions would be asked, and it would take too much time. George knew a little first aid, so he knew what he needed to do to treat it for now. He just needed to get clean and get back out there and find Nadine.

At the thought of the lost nineteen year old girl he was immediately reminded of his own lost daughter, Gwen. The only difference was that Nadine still had a chance while his own was lost forever.

* * *

George stopped the water and he stepped out of the shower.

' _It was supposed to be a simple thing, and now it's turned into something else.'_ He thought to himself, "I need a drink, and a shave."

George grabbed his razor and the shaving cream and he started to trim the thick white beard that was on his face. All the while he was shaving he kept thinking about Nadine's parents and her sister. He thought about how worried they were, how scarred that they were considering that they may never see her again. It gave him focus, something that he had needed since Gwen's death. He had been wallowing in grief and booze, and so to feel something else was a welcomed change.

Gwen was dead and there was nothing he could do about it, but there may be something he could do about Nadine.

* * *

Once the beard was finally gone he ran his hand over his clean shaven but still bruised face. He still looked like hell but it was a little better than before. George opened his drawer and he grabbed some tape and some gauze. He used the gauze as a makeshift splint and he taped it down. It would do until he was able to go to the hospital.

He then grabbed a towel and he walked into his bedroom. He quickly dried off and began to dress in the clothes that he had laid out.

It was his old outfit that he used to wear into work when he was the Police Captain. He put on his dress shirt, followed by brown slacks, and black shoes. George strapped on his holster to his waist and he slipped his gun inside. He tied on a tie and he slipped on his jacket.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

"Time to work." He whispered, _'And the work never stops.'_

The case had awoken something inside of him that had been buried, and that was his need to help people. It was one of the reasons why he decided to become a cop in the first place. And while Gwen's death still hurt he could not let it continue to suffocate him, nor could he let it suffocate anyone else.

* * *

George walked out of his room and towards the door that belonged to Gwen. He had not been in her room for a year and he hesitated for a moment but after it passed he gripped the knob and entered the room. Everything had been left the same and it would continue to be the same, he was looking for something specific that would help him in his quest.

He went to her bed and he lifted up the mattress and he pulled out her diary; he flipped through the pages until he came to a few pictures that were tucked into the pages. He looked at one picture of her and Johnny Storm. He smiled slightly at the smile on Gwen's face. The sadness started to creep back in, so he steeled himself kept flipping through pictures until he came to one with Gwen, Mary Jane, Peter Parker and Harry Osborn.

George singled in on Peter and then on Mary Jane. He flipped the picture over and on the back were their names.

"Mary Jane Watson." He said, "She'll be the key to finding you Mr. Parker or should I say Spider-Man."

* * *

George folded the picture and placed it in his pocket. He carefully placed the diary back in its spot and he headed out the door with the intent on finding Peter and convincing him that Spider-Man was needed in the case he and Jessica were working. He backed out of the room and gently closed the door.

' _It might take me a minute to track her down and convince her to tell me where he is but it's time I'll have to sacrifice. I better call Terri, tell her to put a car outside Jessica's place just in case Roxxon decides to make a move.'_ He thought as he left his apartment.

* * *

 **Alias Investigations- 3:30am**

Jessica Jones opened one of the busted drawers on her cluttered desk and she pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. She lit the cigarette and she took a long drag. The nicotine calmed her raging nerves. She had just left a message on Luke and Danny's phone, the Heroes for Hire of Harlem. They were several blocks uptown from where she was and she could some what easily fly over to them and tell them what was happening but she needed time to prepare, mentally at least. She was still a bit buzzed from all the liquor in her system.

Jessica leaned back in her seat and she blew out the smoke. Since her escape from her purple faced abuser no one from her old life had seen or heard from her. There were only two people that knew she was alive, and that was her friend Patsy Walker, and Luke Cage.

* * *

Patsy was an old childhood friend; she had been the first she contacted once she made her escape. And it was because of Patsy she had decided to move into the private investigation business. It was discreet, the pay was decent enough and realistically there was nothing else she was qualified to do. The school she was enrolled in had kicked her out and her foster parents had written her off. She had called them and she received an ear full, but neither knew of her costumed life or the abuse she had been through.

Jessica took another drag of her cigarette, and blew out more smoke. She thought back to how she just drifted for so long, loosing herself in booze, cigarettes and strange men. Even now she was still drifting but at least she had a business and was making some money instead of living off of Patsy. It was during one of her really bad nights that she happened to run into Luke. It was by pure chance. And while she didn't remember much, she remembered telling him to swear not to tell anyone about finding her. She had only had a few run ins with Luke and may not have known him very well, but she knew enough to know that he was a man of his word.

* * *

Iron Fist would be confused and would ask many questions and she needed to be prepared for each question that came not only from him but from the two other people she about to call. Jessica thought of the missing Nadine, and so she gathered her courage by taking another drag of her cigarette and then taking a swig from the bottle of Jack Daniels. She then dialed a few numbers.

 **RING! RING! RING! CLICK!**

"Hello?"

"Misty, it's me Jessica. I need you and Colleen to help me with something."

* * *

 **Midtown- Around 4 am**

The Scorpion carefully peeked around the corner; he had hugged himself to the shadows hoping that he was out of sight so his intended targets would not see him. He had made an anonymous call on the payphone to 911 about a robbery in progress, and that was about twenty minutes ago. He slammed his hand into the wall in frustration because time was as usual not on his side.

The longer it took for the officers to arrive the longer it kept him from finding the people that could spoil his reunion with his family. At the thought of his family the rage began to overtake him. All while he had been locked up, his thoughts drifted to his family, to his son Tyler, and daughters Courtney and Lily. He had to sit and rot away while they grew up not knowing him or just hating him with all the lies that he knew his ex-wife Michelle and her new husband Todd was telling them. He hated her but he stilled loved her at the same time.

' _She'll come around and if she doesn't I'll make her. She will respect me and my kids will love me. And Todd, well, the things I'm going to do to him will not be pretty, that'll teach him to steal another man's family.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

A set of bright lights caught his attention, it was a cop car. At the sight relief flooded him. He'd be able to finish this small problem up and once this was done Justin Hammer would deliver on his promise of finding his ex-wife and kids. He believed in Justin Hammer, because they both were same, seeking the same thing, respect and love.

The Scorpion quickly stepped out of the shadows and into the path of the approaching police car.

 **SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!** Came the sound of the car skidding to a halt.

* * *

The officers got out of the car and both drew their weapons and pointed them at the Scorpion.

"Oh my God!" one of them exclaimed.

"What the hell are you!?"

The Scorpion looked at the officer to his left and immediately his large scaly tail fired from behind him and impaled the officer through the chest. The tail raised the officer high before throwing him away.

"BOBBY!" the other officer yelled before opening fire.

* * *

The Scorpion leapt into the air and landed behind the frightened cop; he then knocked the weapon away and easily lifted him up by the back of his neck.

"I'm lookin for a cop named George Stacy." He said.

"The former Captain?" The scared officer asked.

"Yeah him, where is he?" said the Scorpion.

"I don't know, last I heard he quit, that was over a year ago." the officer yelled.

The Scorpion looked towards the police car.

"You can look up his address can't ya? Isn't that how those little computers in your car works?"

"Maybe, I-I don't know!" He yelled, "Just please don't kill me. I-I got a family."

"Me too. So if you look up this Stacy guy's address, I won't kill you. I'll just rip off an arm or a leg but it will be your choice though." Said the Scorpion.

"Okay, I'll do it!"

The Scorpion smiled, ' _Daddy will be home soon kids, real soon.'_

* * *

 **An Hour Later- George Stacy's Apartment**

The Scorpion kicked the front door off the hinges, sending it flying across the room. He stepped into George's apartment and he waited for a second, listening to see if anyone would come running into the living room, but no one came.

He stepped inside looking all around, he went towards Gwen's room and he kicked the door of the hinges but when he didn't see anyone he backed out and went to the next room, which was George's.

"Damn, I must've just missed him." The Scorpion whispered to himself.

A sinking feeling gripped his stomach.

' _What if he's already gotten out of town? Or what if he's already in hiding somewhere, no, no, no, no I told Hammer I would get him and the others. If I don't hold up my end he's gonna go back on our deal. NO!_ '

* * *

Gargan's tail lashed out and smacked George's dresser breaking it in half and scattering the items on top and inside all over the ground. He growled and then punched a hole in the wall that was next to him.

"Goddamn it!" he yelled, "All I want is my family back, is that too much to ask! I know I've done terrible things but a guy's gotta eat and provide for his family don't he. I swear, God if you're listening, please just help me out this one time. You've pretty much been screwing me over since I born, if you give a single crap about me please give me a sign." He said.

The Scorpion waited for a moment, waiting for a sign from God but nothing came, which only added to his already sour disposition. He thought about waiting for him to come back however time was still against him. He had to get to the others quickly because it would be daybreak soon. Gargan walked towards the door but before he left he looked down to see several bloody tissues stuck to his foot. He growled and scrapped his foot, the tissues fell off but along with it a card with some blood on it.

* * *

The Scorpion, with his perfect eye sight thanks to the OZ enhanced scorpion blood that flowed through his system saw something on the card that put a small smile on his face. He reached down and picked it up and read it.

"Jessica…Jessica Jones, Alias Investigations."

The Scorpion saw the address on the card and so he balled it up and he made his way out of George's apartment.

* * *

 **later- Ravencroft 5:45am**

Black Cat dove onto the roof and rolled along her shoulder coming to a crouch in front of the door that led inside the facility.

' _Finally, it took forever to get here. I probably shouldn't have stopped to get this little gift for spider, but he needs it, he can't jump back into action without it, but what really ate up time was stopping to call the ambulance for that cop, who had his arm ripped off, I couldn't just leave him there screaming. I mean I could have and any other time I would have but…damn it all.'_ She thought to herself.

The Black Cat adjusted the fashionable knapsack on her back and she reached for the door.

"Cat?"

Black Cat turned to see Peter sitting against the ledge with a look of curiosity etched onto his face.

"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time.

"I'm sitting here, thinking about…stuff." Said Peter.

"Well I'm actually here to see you." She said.

"How did you find me? I thought no one knew I was here but you're the second person tonight or today to find me. So I guess the secret is out."

"Look, it took me weeks to find you and that little red headed fangirl of yours didn't really make it easy but thanks to her I found you. I'm here to drag you back into the life of altruism and nobility. If you get back to doing that crap, I can stop doing it and I can get back to stealing sh**. And thus restoring the balance."

Black Cat took the knapsack off of her back and she tossed it to him.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I had a new costume made for you and it's the one that I saw you in on Youtube when you fought this giant werewolf dog thing, you look so much better in bl…."

Peter tossed the bag back to her.

"I'm not…I'm not wearing any costume okay. I'm not ready." He said in a low voice.

"Well do you have any idea when you'll be ready?" she asked.

* * *

Peter shook his head and stood up.

"No I don't know when I'll be ready, and by you asking that, it lets me know that you know nothing about loosing someone close to you. So bye Felicia."

Black Cat waited until he was about to pass her before she grabbed him by the arm. Cat, reared her hand back and she socked him across the jaw.

"For your information jackass, I do know something about loosing someone. My father, possibly the only man on the face the earth who ever truly understood me, or actually cared about me and my happiness is dead."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Said Peter.

"Yeah, probably because you have your head so far up your own ass that you think the whole world revolves around you and your pain. I'm in just as much pain as you but I just choose to handle it differently. I choose not to let myself fall into despair because it doesn't really do anything to help and truthfully the fact of the matter is that people we love often die. It's one of the many pills of life that we're forced to swallow, sometimes they die for a reason, sometimes they don't, but they die. End of story we can't change it."

"Well the people close to me died for a reason. Some crazed lunatic killed them because of me. I'm the reason they died." Peter challenged.

"That might be one way of looking at it or, maybe another way is that the crazed lunatic killed them because he was a crazed lunatic and that's just what crazed lunatics do. They hurt, maim and kill people which is exactly why people like you are needed, people with the power to stop them."

"You have that same power Cat, like you said you've been out there helping people so keep doing it." Peter replied.

"I can't. I've been doing my very best and I'd be lying if I said that some small, small, very small part of me didn't enjoy it but the novelty is wearing thin, and I'm not a true believer like you. I'm not wired for this type of thing. I told you, I'm a thief."

"You're selling yourself too short Cat, there's more to you than meets the eye."

"Thank you Optimus Prime." She said.

"I'm surprised you know who that is."

"I've been watching a lot of netflix at my penthouse, especially on those occasions when I'm resting after sticking my neck out and protecting some people from the crazed lunatics that presently run these streets. I mean just take tonight for example, there's this really sick guy or monster thing out there ripping people's arms off their bodies and killing people."

"What?"

"Yeah, I just saved a cop's life, he said the guy or thing was almost a giant, had a long tail with a red tipped stinger on the end."

* * *

' _Mac Gargan, the Scorpion. I'd never forget that red stinger'_ Peter thought to himself, _'He's another loose end that's still running free and causing chaos it seems. Scorpion, Sandman, and Electro escaped shield custody, and that's half of…what did Ock call them, the Sinister Six. There is no telling what those psychos have been up to but I'm sure it's nothing good._ "

"Whoever he or it is I'm sure I'll run into it and…"

"NO!" Peter shouted, "If you see anyone that looks like that man you run in the opposite direction. He's unhinged."

"Well someone has gotta do something about him, at least until Spider-Man returns." Black Cat replied.

She took the knapsack and she thrusted it into his arms.

"As I said before, I had it made for you as a thank you for saving my life. I hope you use it."

"Cat, I can't be Spider-Man anymore, all this craziness is because of him. And you didn't have to thank me for saving your life."

* * *

 **WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** Came the sound of several sirens passing by the facility.

Black Cat looked at Peter and then to the fading sirens. He looked as if he wanted to move but something kept him rooted in place, when she saw that he was not going to movie she hung her head and released a long sigh. She did not want to go but something was pushing her to go and so she followed that instinct.

"Ugh." She groaned, "I guess I'll go and check that out."

Black Cat moved away from him and towards the ledge where she jumped over. Peter watched her go and his feet took him in that direction but like before when Daredevil went over he stopped. He gritted his teeth as the Green Goblin's words flowed through his mind again, as well as Black Cat's and Daredevil's. Peter hung his head and he headed towards the door with the knapsack in his hand.

' _I'm…not ready. I-I'm sorry DD, Cat, but I just can't.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

 **Alias Investigations- 6:00am**

Jessica leaned forward in her seat as she continued to read the information on her computer screen about the Roxxon Company. After calling Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and leaving a message for Luke, Iron Fist and Daredevil she decided to do a quick internet search on Roxxon, to see if she could find any useful information on them. So far her search had not yielded any major results other than that the current CEO of the Company was a man named Justin Hammer.

She wrote his name down on a sheet of paper just as she heard a knock on her door. She got up from the desk and she walked towards the door.

"Hold on I'm coming." She said.

* * *

Jessica put her hand on the door knob, and that's when the door was busted off the hinges sending her flying back to the dirty ground. Jessica felt the door that was on top of her splinter and then crumbled to pieces. Se pushed the pieces off and watched as the Scorpion made his way into her apartment/business office.

He looked down at her with a glare.

"You must be Jessica." He said.

"Who the f*** are you." She demanded.

"Let's just say you and your old friend George Stacy have been poking your heads in something that's none of your business. I'm here to cut those heads off."

* * *

Jessica grabbed one of the door pieces and flung it at him. The Scorpion used his tail to smack the piece wood out of the way. She grabbed another piece and she flung that at him as well and like before he easily broke it apart with his tail. Jessica scrambled to her feet, but she was a bit off balance thanks to the booze in her system. The Scorpion charged at her shoulder first and smacked into her. Jessica felt all the wind leave her lungs as she bashed into her desk knocking it over and scattering her laptop, her cigarette ashes and papers.

The Scorpion wordlessly stalked towards the desk and with one hand he lifted it up and threw it across the room where it hit the mantle that had her only picture on display. The smiling picture of her as Jewel fell to the ground and cracked.

* * *

Jessica let out a yell as she suddenly leapt up and punched the Scorpion in the face as hard as she could. He went stumbling to the side but he was still on his feet. She flew forward and speared him across the waist.

 **BAMMMMMMMMMM!** Came the sound of bursting through part of her wall and falling into her bedroom.

Jessica roared as she raised him and threw out a punch. The Scorpion leaned his head to the side letting her fist go through the floor; she tried to cave his head in with another punch however he leaned out of the way of that one as well. The Scorpion's tail slithered from its spot behind him and wrapped around her throat tightly. She clawed at the scaly tough appendage but it held firmly.

* * *

The Scorpion managed to raise her up off of him allowing him to stand to his feet. He looked at her and he smirked a little.

"I can see why that Russian bastard had a hard time with you, even with that MGH crap but I'm a little different."

Jessica struggled as best she could but he was stronger than her; her eyes widened when she saw him raise his fist and the next thing she knew darkness coldly greeted her.

* * *

The Scorpion loosened his grip on her throat as he made his tail bring her over to him. He tucked her under his arm and headed for the door. He stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room just as Luke Cage and Iron Fist stepped through the destroyed entrance. The three of them stood there staring at each other for a long minute.

"Well, this is awkward." Said the Scorpion.

"Drop her now." Luke demanded.

"No." the Scorpion replied.

 **KRZZZZZZZZZZZZZ** came the sound of the communication line in Scorpion's ear, he winced at the loud sound.

* * *

"Scorpion we have your mode of egress waiting down below. Use the window to escape and we'll deal with your unwanted guess. You should have waited."

"No time to wait." Scorpion replied.

The Scorpion saw Iron Fist's right hand begin to glow and he saw Luke take a step forward. He knew he could take them both but he needed to keep his mind focused on the task at hand, and so he adjusted Jessica a bit before turning and dashing towards the boarded up window.

 **BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!** Came the sound of him bursting through the wood and glass. He hung in the air for a moment before falling down below.

* * *

 **Down Below**

The Scorpion landed on the semi-empty sidewalk, cracking the pavement a little from his powerful landing. He saw a black van waiting to the left; the back doors open and he rushed inside, with Jessica in tow.

* * *

 **UP Above**

Luke and Danny looked out of the window and at the van.

"He ain't gettin away from us! We can't let this happen to her again!" Luke shouted, while preparing himself to jump out of the window.

"LOOK!" Danny shouted.

* * *

Luke looked in the direction he pointed to see two RPG's heading right for them.

"Ah hell." Luke groaned.

He quickly grabbed Danny by the front of his shirt and with his strength threw him towards the door. Danny hit the floor and went sliding all the way out of the apartment just as the entire room erupted in a violent explosion..

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

 **Elsewhere: Ravencroft- Around the same time**

"I apologize for the early meeting but our newest patient has required me to shuffle a few things around. He's a piece of work, who has a thought process that is laced with carnage, I may have to put in a transfer but that's neither here nor there. All my attention is now focused on the two of you. So who would like to talk first?"

* * *

A few minutes passed and Dr. Ashley Kafka continued to patiently wait for her patients to speak, just like she always did. Any of the other counselors would have given up or would have tried to prescribe a pill they could take to perk up their dour moods but that was not what she was about. She was about healing and true healing began with finding the problem and curing it at the root, not putting a band aid on it which is all a pill would do in this instance.

Of course there were other things she could be doing other than patiently waiting for her patients to speak but just to dismiss them and their pain would be counterproductive to the healing process, and they have made much progress in the past couple of weeks.

* * *

She smiled a little to herself as she remembered something her father once told her, and that was time and patience was the cornerstone to solving any problem. She missed him dearly.

"What's so funny?"

Dr. Kafka looked to the patient, Eddie Brock and she let her smile grow a bit bigger.

' _Time and patience'_ She thought to herself, _'He used to never speak and now he's talking, that's all it ever takes._ '

"I was just thinking of something my father told me." She replied.

"What was it?" he asked.

"And old proverb."

Eddie chuckled a little.

"Our...My father used to speak like that too. He used to tell me all of these old sayings that I never really paid any attention to. He used to say things like: A man is only wet behind the ears for the first eighteen years and then he's a man. Or something like: A man is only as good as his tractor. And my personal favorite: Time and Patience is the key to any problem."

* * *

Dr. Kafka perked up a little at the statement.

"My father used to the say the same thing." She said.

Eddie turned to her smiled. Dr. Kafka tiled her head to the side a little.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile Eddie. In all of our sessions, I've never seen you smile. It's nice." She said.

"You just bring it out of me Dr. Kafka." He said.

"Call me Ashley." She replied.

* * *

In that moment Eddie felt a connection to her and that connection felt wonderful. It felt nice for him to feel something other than the ice cold numbness that being separated from the symbiote caused. He could still hear it, and feel its slimy cold embrace, but being around Dr. Kafka and that infectious positive attitude was enough to lift it, even for only a moment or two.

Eddie's smile faltered as Peter Parker leaned his head into the space between the two of them. He looked at Eddie and then to Dr. Kafka.

"Should I be here for…this?" he asked.

"Of course you should Peter, this is as much your session as it is Eddie's. I wanted both of you to be together because you're friends right." She asked.

"Friend is a very loose term Dr. Kafka." Peter replied, "We're more like acquaintances, or like when you recognize some guy you saw that one time at this thing you were at."

"Oh don't be so modest Parker; we're connected to each other more than that." Eddie replied.

"How so Eddie?" Dr. Kaufka asked.

"Well let's just say that we shared someone." Said Eddie, "We'll call her Cindy. Cindy was foreign to our country, she was loving, warm and inviting….and naïve. And because of that naiveté she met Parker, who used and abused her and left her, but the day he left her is the day Cindy met me and it was a match made in heaven. We almost bonded, but Parker had to come back into the picture and try to steal her way and he did but he rejected her again and in the process I lost her too. All she wanted to do was help him and help me but now she's gone."

* * *

Dr. Kafa turned to Peter; he could see the judgment in her eyes because of Eddie's so called 'story'.

"That's all a lie Dr. Kafka. Brock forgot to tell you the part where the symbi…Cindy, was very dangerous. She was a liar and complete control freak that wanted to not only control people's lives but take it over. And often times her so called help turned into harming!" Peter snapped

"You're the liar Parker!" Eddie shouted as he stood to his feet.

"Eddie please calm down." Said Dr. Kafka.

* * *

Dr. Kafka was on her feet rushing to stand in-between the irate Eddie Brock and Peter Parker. She calmly placed her hands upon his face. Eddie looked into her eyes and the softness of her hand the calm even tone in her voice, soothed him. He reigned in his anger and slowly sat down in his seat.

"I'm beginning to think that these sessions with the two of you together was not such a good idea. I did not know that your shared history was such a volatile thing. I merely wanted the two of you to help each other. Sometimes having someone your own age or close to your age can be beneficial, it shows you're not alone in your struggle and it helps facilitate communication and talk about your issues." She said.

Peter scoffed.

"That's the thing though Dr. Kafka, I don't want to talk about my issues." He said.

"And why not?" she asked, "It will help."

"No it won't!" He shouted, "You want me to talk about how every waking moment I blame myself for my Aunt's death for Gwen's death, how every breath I take I would trade in an instant to see them alive again. I should be the one that's dead not them. And so talking won't change the fact that they're dead and it sure as hell won't take away the overwhelming guilt."

"So it's better to keep it bottle up inside? Is it better to let that survivor's guilt eat away at you until there is nothing left? It was not your fault that they died Peter. It was the doing of a madman. The Green Goblin."

Peter shook his head and looked away from her. He wanted to believe that and maybe some part of him deep down knew that, but he could not shake the feeling that it was his fault. He put his Aunt in danger by becoming Spider-Man. He put Gwen in danger by becoming Spider-Man. If he had not chosen to do that then they would still be alive, instead of being six feet under the ground.

* * *

Dr. Kafka moved away from Eddie, much to his chargin and moved towards Peter. She laid both her hands on his shoulders and looked him square in the eyes.

"It was not your fault. It was not your fault." She said.

Peter for a moment felt the overwhelming feeling of guilt lifted. He liked her, she was nice and comforting. He let a small smile grace his lips.

"You watched Good Will Hunting last night didn't you Dr. Kafka." He said.

She smiled before hugging him tightly.

"Peter I know it feels like the world is crashing down around you. You've lost two people who meant the world to you, and while that pain will never truly go away, you can't stop living. You can't freeze yourself in time and let life pass you by. You have to find the strength to keep moving forward, to keep your head high in the face of adversity. No one said life would be easy, but the road to greatness is often the rockiest road." She said in his ear.

Peter closed his eyes, reflecting deeply on her words of comfort and encouragement. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. Dr. Kafka hugged him a bit tighter however the hug was quickly interrupted by a loud banging at the door. She turned to the door just as it opened.

* * *

Jared one of the orderlies was there ushering her over to him. Peter and Brock could hear him whispering something to her in her ear and whatever he said to her seemed to alarm her. She turned to them and put a brave face.

"I apologize but we will have to cut our session short this morning. Jared will escort you to your rooms. I hope you both will take to heart the progress we have made here today."

Dr. Kafka turned and she briskly left through the door leaving the three of them on their own.

* * *

 **Peter's Room**

Entering the room Peter had to pause for a minute because sitting on his bed patiently waiting for him was the former Captain of the NYPD, George Stacy. Peter took in his ragged appearance, but his appearance was the least of his concerns. He couldn't help but think about Gwen; her smiling face flashed across his mind for a moment.

"Hey kid, how have you been?" George asked.

"I've been better." Peter replied as he closed the door, "How did you find me?" he asked, _'I seem to be asking that a lot'_

"I'm a cop, or at least I used to be a cop so I have my ways." He said.

An awkward moment passed between the two of them, both remembering the last time they laid eyes on each other. It was after Gwen's death, when he was still Captain and was in the hospital.

"I hate to be so direct or stand-offish but why are you here? On a list of people who would ever visit me here, you were never on that list." Peter said.

"I don't mind skipping straight to the point. I'm here because I'm working a case that has taken a bit of a dark turn. It would be nice to have a hero waiting in the wings just in case things get a bit rough."

Peter looked away from him and to the spot under the bed where he knew the knapsack that Black Cat gave was laying.

"I suggest you go find one." He said.

"And I found you." George replied.

Peter scoffed.

"How many years did you spend trying to get me to see the light and quit doing what I was doing and when I finally do, you're trying to bring me back. Everyone is trying to bring me back." He said.

"You're right, I did spend a lot of time trying to convince you to quit but I was wrong. You're presence is needed. You saved a lot of people, including my life and Terri's life." He said.

* * *

George unconsciously put a hand to his stomach; his mind went to the night that his daughter died, he remembered how the Green Goblin had stabbed him in the stomach. He could still feel the blade but that wound was what not hurt the most whenever he thought about that green psychopath.

"Maybe, however I didn't save the lives of those that mattered the most, my Aunt and Gwen."

"But you tried." Said George "And you can keep beating yourself up about what happened if you want. But just so you know. I never got to tell you this before, but…I don't blame you for what happened to her. I could never blame you; I know you loved her too. I blame Osborn and only him. He is the reason for this whole mess and I'm glad he's dead, but he was not the only threat out there."

"So I've heard." Peter replied.

"It's time for you and me to put our mutual grief to good use. There's a missing girl out there and I need to help her. We need to help her."

* * *

Peter was about to respond when George's phone rang. He grabbed the phone and he answered the call.

"Hello."

 _"George, thank God you're okay_." Came Terri's voice.

"I'm fine."

" _I just got two calls, one about a break in at your apartment_." She said.

"What?" he replied.

" _Someone or something knocked the door off the hinges and trashed your apartment_."

"I told you Roxxon would retaliate or at least whoever is using Roxxon as a cover for their operation."

" _And not only that but that apartment you told me to send a car to, it's gone_."

"The car?"

" _No, the apartment, it blew up_."

"Christ, I'll call you back." He said.

* * *

George hung up the phone and he turned to Peter.

"I can't force you back but trust me when I say that trouble is brewing in the near future, so if you change your mind, call me at this number."

George removed a pen and slip of paper from his jacket pocket. He wrote down the number and he left it on the bed. George walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder before leaving the room.

* * *

Peter let out a long sigh once the former Captain had left his room.

"And there goes my ghost of Christmas yet to come." He whispered to himself.

He walked towards his bed and he sat down; he was tired, more tired than he had ever been before. So many things were happening at once, ever since his battle with Hydro-Man. First he was visited by Daredevil, then Black Cat and now finally Captain Stacy. Peter picked up the slip of paper with number and he laid down on his bed.

"I'm not ready." He said.

* * *

Peter closed his eyes. As he relaxed in bed he did not notice the red and black spider that crawled into the bed with him. The spider crawled towards his pillow and turned into a puff of red mist. The red mist wafted into his nose where he breathed deeply and calmly and before he knew he was sound asleep.

" _A gift, to move you in the right direction_." Came the mysterious voice.

* * *

 **Somewhere**

Peter could smell the familiar scent of a home cooked meal and so he opened his eyes and found himself, his Aunt May, Gwen, Felicia, Mary Jane and Harry sitting around a table smiling. The table was full of all his favorite thanksgiving foods. He heard the sounds of chattering in the background and so he turned to see his living room filled with a mask-less Matt Murdock, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand. He also saw Lana, Tabitha, The Fantastic Four, the X-Men as wells as Captain Stacy and Terri Lee.

"Where…" he started say but he stopped once he saw his Uncle Ben walking in with a turkey in his hands. He placed it down in the middle of the table that was full of all his favorite foods.

Peter felt a squeeze on his hand and he looked to see that it was Gwen that squeezed it. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. She smiled at him.

"Hey there stranger." She said.

"Gwen? What is.." He said.

"Shhh, just listen, she didn't give us a lot of time, her powers are not absolute. This meeting is draining her. It wasn't your fault Peter." She said, "None of us blame you. We blame him."

Gwen pointed towards what looked like a fireplace and there was the Green Goblin costume laid out in front of it like a throw rug, looking beaten and worn out.

* * *

Peter couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, but he was still confused as to what was going on. He felt Gwen put her hand on his chin and turn his head back to her. He shifted his away from her and to his Aunt as she began to speak.

"I know you're hurting dear and want to be with us but you can't be with us just yet, however that does not mean that we're not still with you. We'll always be with you." Said May, "It wasn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself."

"Aunt May." He whispered.

He looked between the two of them and he could feel tears rolling down his eyes. He wanted to hug them but something kept him from moving in his seat. Peter looked towards Felicia, Mary Jane and Harry who all started to drift out of focus. He could still see them but not as clearly as he could Gwen, his Aunt and his Uncle Ben. The chattering behind him started to die down. He looked behind him again and like Felicia, Mary Jane and Harry they started to drift out of focus.

"They're not here." Said Gwen, "Our friends and your hero friends are still in the land of the living."

"But I thought Harry. I saw him…." He started before a long dinging caught his attention.

 **DING! DING! DING!**

* * *

Peter looked towards the head of the table as his Uncle Ben tapped his glass with his fork.

"Uncle Ben."

"Hello Peter. It's nice to see again. You've done things that I could never have imagined. I'm so proud of you, so is your Aunt and so is Gwen. We love you and we will be here waiting once the journey is over but the journey is not over yet, it's only beginning. You still have great power and the responsibility is still there. You got knocked down, but you're not out yet, however you have to choose to get back up and keep fighting in round two. It's all up to you, now wake up."

* * *

 **Peter's Room- 8:30pm**

Peter opened his eyes and he sat up from his bed. He looked around and he saw that his roommate Gavin was sound asleep and that night had fallen.

' _It was a dream, but it didn't feel like a dream. It felt real.'_ He thought to himself.

Peter swung his legs over the edge of his bed and he ran his hands through his hair. For the first time in a long time he felt at peace. He let a small smile appear on his face as he thought back to the words of Gwen, his Aunt May and finally Uncle Ben.

' _He said the journey is not over and it's only beginning. And he said I'd have to choose.'_

 **WHOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** Came the sound of sirens in the night.

* * *

Peter turned towards the window for a brief moment, he had the urge to do something and unlike before he didn't feel anything holding him back. He reached under the bed and retrieved the knapsack that Black Cat had given him. He opened it and there on top staring back at him was a black spider-man mask with big white reflective lens looking back at him. He looked at the lenses and he nodded his head.

"Okay. I'm ready for round two."

* * *

 **End Chapter: Read and Review:** **Hey there readers it's me Nomad88 back again with the closing comments. I know I'm a bit late however this was a rather involved chapter that I wanted to get just right. I wanted everything to be as near as perfect as it can be. I had to get everyone's voice just right, and I had to make a few things hopefully be believable. This was one of the most pivotal chapters in the whole Saga.**

 **Peter has to decide whether or not to become Spider-Man again and after all the visits he's finally decided (Although we all knew he would make the right choice). In the nick of time too, something sinister is happening at Roxxon and it will take the combined might of Spidey, Daredevil, Luke, Jessica, Danny Rand, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing…..and even maybe Wolverine (possible but no promises) aka The Marvel Knights or better yet The Defenders to solve the problem.**

 **Also, the Scorpion is on the loose, and he will do anything to get back to his family. And when a genetically enhanced villain like the Scorpion is set loose it means trouble for everyone especially Spider-Man.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and again I know it's a bit late but was it worth the wait though. Hopefully it was LOL. Please continue to read and review and if you want hit me up with a PM and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.**

 **This is Nomad88 saying later.**

* * *

 **Next up: The Defenders  
**

 **Summary: The Scorpion makes a move against the Daily Bugle, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing run afoul of Roxxon's secret friends to disastrous and explosive results. And Spider-Man makes a return with a new costume courtesy of Black Cat.**


	10. Public Annoucement

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money is being exchanged or in my hands.**

* * *

 **Public Announcement**

Hey there true believers, it's me Nomad88. Yes, I know, I know that I have been gone a long time but I'm back. I have been through a few downs and ups and then back down, and now up. I've had a lot of heartbreak, quiet, thoughtful, reflective moments and a lot of prayer and now I'm better for it. I'm not going to go over it in too much detail but just know that I'm back. I want to thank everyone that took the time to send me PMs wishing me well and hoping that I continue. And to everyone who sent me a PM that was…not so nice, I just want to say I understand your frustration. I have not and will not start anything that I do not intend on finishing. It's just that sometimes **LIFE** happens, and I got dealt a doozy of a hand that took me a few months to recover from, but I'm back. New Chapters will be springing up so be on the lookout. A new chapter should be up in a few hours and I hope everyone that returns enjoys the chapter.

 **Nomad88**.


	11. Chapter 9: The Defenders

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back again with another chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter because we're diving head first into the next chapter. I think this is one that many of you have been waiting on for a while and that is the Defenders. I was once going to go with the Marvel Knights, but I've decided to change it and that is kinda due to the Defenders TV show which is great by the way. I really liked it, and hopefully you readers liked it too and I hope you'll like this chapter too. So, just remember to READ, REVIEW (A writer's main source of motivation) and of course ENJOY!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Defenders**

 **Alias Investigations**

Iron Fist desperately rolled along the floor trying to put out the flames on his jacket. He finally managed to put it out but he was not out of danger just yet. There was smoke and debris everywhere and his ears rang terribly from the RPG's that had been launched at Jessica's apartment. He slowly rose to his feet. The Hero for Hire stared at the large open space, which was the only remnants of the apartment left; a whole section of the building had been blown out.

He started to the left banging on the apartment door next to him. The door opened and a scared elderly couple poked their heads out.

"Get to the stairs and get out of here." He said to them while coughing from the smoke that was all around them.

The fire alarms and sprinkles finally went off. Iron Fist spit out some water as he went to the next two apartments knocking on the door and instructing the people to get to the stairs and out of harms way. Once he saw most of the civilians evacuating, heading down the stairs he directed his attention back to finding his best friend.

* * *

Iron Fist carefully stepped into the remnants of Jessica's apartment. He fanned the smoke away and made sure to stay out of the way of the giant flames and the giant holes in the flooring.

"Luke!" he yelled, "Luke!"

Iron Fist heard the sound of wood creaking and groaning. The floor beneath him gave way; he managed to dive to the right thus avoiding falling through the floor and to what remained of the apartment below.

"Luke!" he yelled again.

Iron Fist spotted a large body that was partly covered by bricks and fire. He made his over and made his right first glow with his chi. He thrusted his hand out and the energy compressed within his fist expanded out in a wave that extinguished the fire. Once the flames were gone he began to lift the rocks off of Luke.

"Come on buddy wake up, you weigh a ton." He said while straining.

* * *

Luke started to move, and Danny heaved a sigh of relief as he saw his best friend open his eyes.

"What the hell happened?" he whispered.

"Well, you got hit by two RPG's and we're currently in a burning building." Said Iron Fist.

Luke groaned as he easily hefted the debris that covered him off of his body. He was physically fine on the outside but his head was pounding. It took a moment for him to get his concentration back however the headache still persisted. He couldn't dwell on it though because the remaining pieces of flooring started to rumble.

"We gotta go!" Iron Fist shouted while ushering him to his feet.

Luke swayed a little but Iron Fist managed to stable him. They limped together towards the door however before they left Luke saw something laying under a small piece of wood. It was the picture of Jessica as Jewel. Luke curled his lips as he moved away from Danny and towards the picture. He managed to grab it right before it caught fire. It was singed a little but otherwise it was still intact.

"Come on!" Iron Fist shouted, but his eyes widened in terror as he saw another RPG heading their way.

Luke saw it coming too and so he dashed towards the door and both cleared the entrance just as the third RPG hit.

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

 **Several Buildings away**

A man standing at six one with long blonde hair tied together into a ponytail took the high-tech binoculars away from his eyes. He pursed his lips into a thin line before spitting the gum out of his mouth.

"I believe Gargan's unwanted guest have been taken care of for the moment." He said, to the young man that was standing next to him with the RPG launcher in his hands, "Let's pack it in."

"Yes sir." The young man replied.

* * *

 **KRZZZZZZZZZZZ!** Came the sound of the earpiece in his ear.

"What is it now?" he asked.

" _Mr. Pierce, we have a problem. We have a tail."_ Came the voice on the other end.

"Who are they?" Pierce asked.

" _I'm not sure._ "

"Loose them."

" _We've been trying but they are tough to loose_."

"Well…." He started before the man with the RPG launcher was suddenly struck in the head by an object. The young man collapsed to the ground in a heap groaning however he was down but not out.

The ponytail wearing man named Pierce slowly turned around to see Daredevil standing behind him.

"Ah hell." He whispered.

* * *

Daredevil flared his nostrils taking in the scent of four men and three woman that were on the roof. He could smell the gun powder, the blood and bleach on the knives each of them wore; he could smell sweat, oil, dirt, bullets and some type of metal he could not identify. There were seven of them and he could tell that they all wore military outfits from the way that they moved. The material and fabric gave off a distinct sound and smell.

He could hear one on the radio and he assumed him to be the leader of the little gang of psychos who just released three RPG's onto the apartment complex across the way. The fire-trucks and police were on the way and he could hear that the people were evacuating. He could also hear the heartbeats of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, which meant they were still alive and that meant he could deal with the actually threat.

"Who the hell is that?" one of the men on the roof asked.

"That's Daredevil." Said the leader.

Daredevil heard the heavy southern drawl in his voice and that told him that he was not from the New York area. The man without fear lightly tapped his foot on the ground creating a mild sound wave so he could get a better view of his opponent. They were the same height and when he walked he thumped louder than a normal person should which meant he was heavier than a normal human being, too heavy.

"You have me at a disadvantage." Said Daredevil, "Who are you?"

* * *

The man with the ponytail and southern accent continued forward until he was standing a few inches in front of his group.

"Mah name is **Donald Pierce** , and these are mah associates, we call ourselves **the Purifiers**. Ah've read about ya. Ah respect ya and the work ya done in Hell's Kitchen, cleanin up the scum that sonuva bitch Fisk created. Yes sir ya got values and that makes ya a true friend of humanity, which is why ah will give you this one chance to turn around and walk away. Ya stumbled into something that ya have no business in and…."

Pierce was interrupted by Daredevil throwing another one of his escrima sticks. Pierce saw it coming and he easily snagged it out of the air with is right hand. He curled his hand into a fist and crushed the metal escrima stick beyond repair.

' _He's strong too.'_ Daredevil thought to himself _'And I hear gears turning in his hands and joints, what the hell is this guy.'_

"Join us." Said Pierce, dropping the destroyed stick to the roof.

"Go to hell." DD growled.

* * *

Daredevil heard the weapons behind Pierce being cocked and aimed in his direction however a simple hand gesture from the man in question made them lower their weapons.

"Ya'll sit tight this is between me and The Man Without Fear." Said Pierce, "Ah was hoping it wouldn't come to this, ah was hoping to offer ya a spot in our little organization but ya leave me no choice."

Daredevil heard the gears moving in Pierce's right arm, he could smell the scent of oil lubricating the bolts and screws. Pierce's right hand split open at the middle and dozens of bullets fired out of his metal arms. The man without fear was a few seconds ahead of the bullets that meant to kill him. He weaved and dived out of the way and hid behind the brick chimney that was on the roof.

* * *

The bullets plowed through the bricks sending bits of red rocks in every direction. Daredevil gritted his teeth and used the loud sound waves to _'see'_ what his options were. He quickly shifted through several ideas however all options were lost as Daredevil heard the bullets stop. He tilted his head to the right as he heard the gears turning again, in both of Pierce's arms. He raised both of them and suddenly his arms rocketed forward.

Pierce watched as his metal appendages bashed through the chipped and broken bricks and emerged on the other side. He closed his fist hoping to grab his foe but his hopes were dashed. Pierce watched as Daredevil flipped over the chimney and to the ground. DD dashed forward and delivered a solid kick to Pierce's chest.

 **CLUNK!** Came the sound of the kick.

DD grimaced as he heard the reverberation. The outline that formed gave him an even better picture of Donald Pierce. He could heard the man's heartbeat but it was buried by what 'looked' like some sort of metal barrier, or metal body. The metal hands that were embedded in the bricks quickly retracted back to normal.

Pierce lashed out with a swift punch but Daredevil leaned out of the way and cart-wheeled to the left. The man without fear reached towards his second holster where he kept his spare billy club. He twirled the weapon and lashed out with a hit to Pierce's face and the coppery scent of blood caught his attention.

' _Finally found the flesh.'_ DD thought to himself.

* * *

Pierce wiped the blood away from his lip with the back of his metal hand. He looked at his blood and then to Daredevil, before smiling.

"See this is what we need. You're smart, ah'll give you that, but like ah said I've read up on you. Ah've read up on many people of interest, anyone that could be a friend of humanity."

"You're no friend, not if you fire RPGs on innocent civilians." Daredevil replied.

"Some times ya gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet." Pierce replied.

Daredevil 'saw' Pierce hold up his left arm and from a spot on his forearm a slot opened and circular object protruded upwards. The object emitted an ear piecing sound that while annoying to the other Purifiers, was absolute torture for the man without fear. Pierce watched as DD grabbed his ears in pain.

* * *

Pierce lunged forward with a solid shot to Daredevil's stomach. He landed two more shots to DD's face, knocking him backwards and towards the ledge. Pierce kicked him in the stomach and almost over the edge but before he tumbled over Piece grabbed him by the front of his uniform. He easily hoisted him up and held him over the ledge. The ear shattering siren was still emitting from Pierce's arm which reeked havoc upon Daredevil's radar, making everything appear out of focus, rendering him truly blind.

"Ah hate to have to kill you boy." Said Pierce, "But if ya won't listen to me ah got no choice but to let gravity to do the rest of the talking."

The man without fear called upon his years of training and honing his senses. He tried his best to block out the sound but since it was so close to him the best he was able to do was to dial it back to a low rumble. He could 'see' where it was coming from and what Pierce was about to do. He gathered his strength and before Pierce could drop him he chopped the elbow joint to the arm that held him. He smashed some off the nuts and bolts causing the arm to malfunction.

Pierce let out a curse as he involuntarily released his hold on Daredevil, dropping him to fall to his death. The leader of the Purifiers looked at the damaged joint and at his fingers that were opening and closing on their own, refusing to listen to his commands.

"Dammit." He said while walking over to the ledge.

* * *

He peered over hoping to see Daredevil sprawled out on the pavement below dead but he saw absolutely nothing. The Man without fear was gone; he had vanished without a trace.

"Is he dead boss!" one of the Purifiers called out.

"Call for evac, and somebody get the communications back up. Ah wanna know where Gargan and the others are. And somebody get me the SAT phone. Ah'll need to make a call. Ah can tell ya right now that Creed ain't gonna like this." He said.

* * *

 **Minutes Ago- Jessica's Apartment**

Colleen Wing turned the wheel to car and she slowly came to a stop in front of Jessica Jones apartment. She looked to the right and at her best friend and partner in the crime fighting business Misty Knight.

"Is this the right spot? This building looks like a sh**hole." Said Colleen

"Yeah this is the spot girl, look over there, I see Luke's rent-a-car." Misty replied with a humorous tone, "He's been bitching about how his Cadillac got trashed in that fight with Hydro-Man."

Misty looked around the block they were on and she spotted a police car that was parked across the street.

' _That's odd.'_ She thought herself.

Colleen nudged her and pointed towards a black van pulling up.

"Something weird is happen..." Colleen started before a loud explosion filled the morning air.

 **KABOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Misty and Colleen heard the loud sound and looked up see an apartment on fire and a large man with a tail landing on the ground a couple of paces in front of their car. Both of the women saw an unconscious woman tucked firmly under his arm.

A black van suddenly backed up and the doors opened. There were four men in military outfits with the words FOH painted on the front of their tactical vest inside and waiting. The tailed man quickly got inside with them and sped off. The Police car that was outside the building started up and zoomed after the van with the lights and sirens blaring loudly.

"How much you wanna bet that was Jessica!" Misty exclaimed, "I guess she wasn't lying about that trouble she was in. Hit it!"

Colleen wasted little time slamming her foot on the gas and speeding after the black van and police car. Misty pulled out her Glock-17 and she cocked it back.

"What about the people in the apartment?" Colleen asked.

"I'm sure Luke's got it under control and if he's there Danny isn't too far behind, between the two of those Heroes for Hire they should be fine" She replied, "We need to help Jewel out. She's got some explaining to do and she can't do it if she's dead or missing."

Misty leaned out of the window, took aim and fired at the van.

* * *

 **Van**

"What the hell Gargan! You were supposed to wait for us to give you back up! You know scout out the area first, make sure there weren't any threats around." The driver shouted.

"Shut up Cole!" The Scorpion yelled, "Hammer gave me a job to do and I'm doin it, don't get mad at me if you amateurs can't keep up!"

Cole opened his mouth to respond but he never got the chance because not only did he see the lights of a police car behind them but the back window was also blown out.

* * *

The Scorpion and the rest of the Friends of Humanity looked to the speeding car behind them and saw a woman with a gold bionic arm leaning out the passenger's side firing at them. The men had to duck as a bullet ricocheted around the inside.

"Ah hell, we got cops! And who the hell are those broads?" Cole asked, "And why are they shooting at us!"

"Hell if I know! But if I had to guess they might be friends with this girl." The Scorpion replied.

"Well get your ass out there and do something!" The driver shouted.

* * *

The Scorpion turned to him and smirked.

"You're the back up Cole, you do something." He said with a smug smirk.

Cole snarled at Scorpion and turned hard on the wheel, everyone went slamming to the right as he turned left.

* * *

 **Outside the Van**

"Hard left coming up!" Misty shouted.

Colleen nodded her head as she turned to the left. Misty had to brace herself against the roof of the car, as they made it around the corner and once through she started back firing at the speeding van. She aimed at the tires however at the last second the cop car got in the way.

"Dammit!" she yelled.

* * *

 **Inside the Van**

Cole reached towards his phone and he pressed one of the speed dial buttons. He only had to wait a second before his superior Donald Pierce answered over the line.

" _What is it now_?"

"Mr. Pierce, we have a problem. We have a tail." Came the voice on the other end.

" _Who are they_?" Pierce asked.

"I'm not sure."

" _Loose them_." He said.

"We've been trying but they are tough to loose."

" _Well…_." Pierce started before stopping in mid-sentence.

 **BAM!** Came the sound of a gunshot. Cole let out a yell as the phone in his hand exploded in a shower of metal. The bullet destroyed his phone and took one of his fingers. He almost lost control of the van but he gritted his teeth against the pain and with his bloody hand he grabbed hold of the wheel and kept it steady.

"SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING TO GET THOSE CRAZY BITCHES AND THE COPS OFF OF OUR ASS!" Cole yelled.

* * *

 **On the Street**

"ATTENTION DRIVERS! THIS IS THE NYPD BOTH OF YOU PULL OVER NOW!" came the officer's voice through the PA system in the car.

Misty opened her mouth to yell when the back of the doors to the van opened. A man with a grenade in his hand revealed himself. He pulled the pin and tossed the grenade out.

"GRENADE!" Misty shouted.

Colleen saw the object and she swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding it.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the explosion. Both cars were rocked by the explosion and barely managed to keep going on a straight path but the righted themselves and kept speeding after their enemies.

* * *

The man in the van saw that they were still on their tail.

"Throw another one!" Cole shouted.

"Yes sir." The solider replied.

The soldier reached towards his vest and he pulled out another grenade. He pulled the pin on that one and threw it out to the street. They swerved out of the way again.

 **BOOOOOOOOOM!**

* * *

Colleen said a dozen and one curses as she tried her best to keep the car steady. She looked to her right just in time to see the passenger door open and Misty almost fall out. She reached towards her and grabbed her outstretched hand. She pulled her back inside the car.

"You okay?" she asked.

"No, my ears are ringing!" Misty shouted back while reloading.

* * *

 **Van**

The Scorpion watched intently as his associates, the Purifiers tended to their pursuers. He let his smug smile continue to show as the men struggled to get rid of them. One of them turned towards him.

"Are you going to help or not?" he asked.

"Depends." Scorpion replied.

"On what?"

"How much respect Cole is willing to give to me."

Cole turned the wheel to the right again and everyone slammed into the side before he angrily whipped towards the Scorpion.

"What makes you think you deserve respect you freak? I hate that we have to work with scum like you. We are the Purifiers, here to purify the world of mutants or inhuman monsters like you and that girl." He snapped.

The Scorpion's tailed slithered up and the red stinger twitched. He hated when people called him names because it reminded him of his mother who did nothing but call him names, so he'd never forget that he was his father's son.

"Freak am I?" he said in a low voice.

* * *

The Scorpion's tail lashed forward but the stinger stopped inches away from the back of Cole's head. Gargan restrained himself he had to control his anger because while he hated being called names, he hated being away from his children even more. He was not his father. He would be there for his children and he would protect them from their lying mother by any means necessary. Gargan moved his tail away.

"We'll settle this another time Cole." He said in a whisper, before turning to the other Purifiers, "Get her to where she needs to go. If she doesn't get there, I'll be back for the two of you. Tell your boss Pierce that I'm after I'm done dealing with our unwanted guests I'm going after the other two at the Daily Bugle, make sure my ride is waiting."

Cole nodded his head.

* * *

The Scorpion stood up and he swiftly jumped out of the van and landed on the hood of the speeding police car.

The Scorpion let out a roar and he grabbed the top roof in front of him and with a mighty tug he ripped the whole roof off, police lights and all. He glared as well as bared his sharp teeth at the screaming officers inside. The Scorpion felt a bullet graze his shoulder. He looked up from his prey to see Misty shooting at him.

The Scorpion tossed the chunk of metal in his hands at the female heroes. The flying metal bashed into the window severely cracking it before bouncing off and to the ground, scarring some nearby people.

* * *

 **The Car**

Colleen swerved all along road even going on the sidewalk for a moment and scaring more pedestrians that were in the way. She honked on the horn praying that they would jump out of the way in time.

"Misty I can't see!" Colleen shouted.

"Shield your eyes." Misty replied.

Misty took aim and she shot out the window sending glass everywhere, however it cleared the way for Colleen to see where she was driving. The blonde beauty twisted the wheel and off the sidewalk back to the road. She had to avoiding hitting a man on a bike but that was the least of her worries.

They both saw the Scorpion grab one of the officers and easily lift him up into the air. The Scorpion threw the officer away. Colleen pushed harder on the gas and managed to catch the thrown officer on the hood of their car. Misty reached through the broken window and grabbed him. She helped him inside and to the back seat.

"What the hell is going on!" he shouted.

"Uh, I think some weird looking guy with a tail is trying to kill us." Said Misty while reloading and then firing a couple of shots at the Scorpion but missing. The crazed villain stared at them and snarled.

"I think he's about to jump." Said Colleen.

"Good, that's exactly what I want that ugly bastard to do. Colleen, get ready to swerve." Misty replied.

* * *

The Scorpion leaned out of the way of a couple of more bullets that were fired in his direction. He snarled at Misty and he crouched low; his tail jammed itself into the hood of the police car, which destroyed the engine. When he felt the car lurch to the left he jumped off and went sailing for the car.

* * *

Colleen waited for the right moment and she swerved out of the way. The Scorpion missed the car by an inch and went painfully skidding along the ground.

The Scorpion came out of his roll with a snarl on his face. He watched as both the van and the car with Colleen and Misty sped away; gritting his teeth he swiftly took off after the two.

* * *

The officer in the back of the car turned around in his seat and his eyes widen in terror.

"Oh sh**, that mutant freak is gaining on us!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Colleen and Misty both looked in the rear view mirror to see the Scorpion running after them, and he was quickly gaining ground. Colleen looked at the speedometer to see that they were going eighty miles an hour down the road.

"Jesus." She whispered, "This is not going to end well."

"No kidding and it's not even ten o' clock yet." Said Misty.

The former cop once again climbed through the passenger side window until she was leaning out the side, she then climbed up to the roof of the speeding car. She steadied herself with her left hand and she let her right bionic arm hang at her side.

' _Come on you sonuva bitch.'_ She thought to herself.

Misty waited until the Scorpion jumped in the air again.

 **THUD!** Came the sound of him landing on the trunk of the car, he landed so hard that that the back end sunk to the ground for a second scrapping against the pavement and making them swerve a little. Misty held on and kept herself steady. The Scorpion bared his teeth and his red tipped tail reared itself back, preparing to skewer her.

* * *

Misty grinned and she lifted her bionic arm. The palm opened at the center and a repulsor beam fired out and smacked the Scorpion in the middle of his chest. The beam carried him off of the trunk of the car and through the windshield of a parked truck. She smiled to herself before turning towards the speeding van with Jessica inside. She took aim and was about to fire when the doors opened again and one of the men threw out multiple grenades.

Misty managed to blast two of the thrown grenades but she missed the other two. The grenades rolled under the car and made it to the rear before exploding in a shower of metal and fire. The tires and trunk were blown out and the car lurched forward and flipped over several times. Misty's teeth clicked together as she was thrown from the vehicle and went skidding along the pavement.

She dug her bionic fingers into the ground and managed to make herself come to a stop. Pain was only thing that registered to her senses at the moment. There was pain in her arm from the sudden stop as well as pain from the angry red and bleeding gashes from sliding and rolling along the road. She had to ignore it because she was more concerned about her friend Colleen.

Misty saw that the car was completely missing the back half and that it was flipped upside down. She fought her way to her feet.

"Colleen!" She yelled.

* * *

One of the windows was kicked open and Colleen crawled out, looking no better than Misty. She had bloody cuts and scraps in several places however she did not let that stop her from dragging the unconscious officer out of the burning vehicle.

Misty let out a breath but it quickly left her once she saw the Scorpion appear from around the missing back end. The imposing foe stopped and he looked at Colleen who tried to reach for the officer's gun.

The Scorpion's tail lashed out, and stabbed her in the hand with the red tipped stinger. Colleen let out a yell which echoed in the morning air.

"NO!" Misty yelled while holding out her bionic arm and firing at him.

Gargan was prepared and with his superior agility, he dodged each beam as it came at him. He closed the distance between him and the injured Misty Knight and grabbed her bionic arm. He crushed the robotic pieces to bits and then painfully ripped the bionic arm from her flesh.

Misty's gritted her teeth against the pain, she wanted to yell but she would not give him the satisfaction. She felt him hoist her up to his eye level. She could see the deranged look in his eyes. He curled his fist, getting ready to end her when he felt a grappling hook wrap around his arm.

* * *

The Scorpion dropped Misty to the ground and he looked at the grappling hook around his forearm. He followed the line until it led to a man. He was six feet, had blonde hair, and was dressed in a blue and white suit. He had metal gauntlets on his arms, and a utility belt around his waist. The man pulled on the line hoping to pull the Scorpion off balance but the Scorpion barely moved at all. The deranged villain carefully took hold of the grappling line, making sure to grip it tightly.

"My name is Captain Zero, and I don't know who you are or what's going on but you're in my part of town, and I won't let you harm anyone." He said.

"Get out of here you idiot!" Colleen yelled, "He'll kill you!"

"Relax ma'am, he won't kill me because my suit is durable and I've trained myself for this sort of….." Captain Zero started before being yanked forward.

The Scorpion grabbed him by the head and held him up off the ground. Captain Zero screamed as he felt the sharp nails digging into his skull.

 **WHOOOO! WHOOO!** Came the sound of the sirens in the distance.

' _Damn it.'_ The Scorpion thought to himself, _'I'm wasting too much time. I still need to get Urich. I don't have time to deal with this.'_

The Scorpion raised his left and he sunk his sharp finger deep into Captain Zero's chest. Misty from her spot on the ground felt several drops of his warm blood drip onto her face. She watched in horror as the crazed villain easily ripped the poor man's heart out of his chest spraying his blood everywhere.

* * *

She gasped as his heart and his body fell to the ground next to her. She carefully looked away from the dead wannabe hero and the Scorpion, who could see the terror evident in her eyes. The sirens were gaining.

"I don't have the time to properly dispose of you but if I ever see you again. I'll kill you." He said.

Misty blinked and in a flash he was already running away. She watched him easily jump to the side of a building and scale towards the top, just as a dozen police car arrived on the scene.

* * *

 **SoHo- Fifteen Minutes later**

Justin Hammer poured himself a glass of scotch and he poured another for his guest. The cunning businessman carried both glasses over to a set of chairs near the balcony window in his lavish high rise condo. He handed the second glass to his associate and one of the masterminds behind the MGH program at Roxxon, **Graydon Creed**.

Graydon took a sip of the scotch before placing it down on the glass table in front of him.

"I thank you for the well aged scotch but this is not a social visit Mr. Hammer. Myself and the rest of the **Friends of Humanity** are concerned about our investment in the program and in you."

"Yes, I know I promised a working formula and there has been progress made and I can assure you that we are close." Justin replied calmly.

"How much longer?" Graydon asked, "We based our schedule upon the time table that you provided us in the beginning of our partnership. And I've made a lot of promises based upon that date as well."

"I realize that Graydon however science is a very tricky thing, sometimes there are setbacks and sometimes time tables need to be adjusted."

"Not these time tables." Graydon replied seriously while standing up.

He walked towards one of the windows and he looked out to the street that was down below. It was still early in the morning but there were several people outside, walking the streets, and heading to work. Graydon stared at them and a bit of envy crept into him. He envied how they could just go about their lives, never knowing of the battle for humanity that was happening all around them. He slightly envied being ignorant. He was like that once but the truth came knocking at his door, in the form of his father and after that day his eyes were opened to the true enemy, and the evil that they all represented.

"We're in a very precarious time Justin. The mutants have their time in the sun and they are capitalizing on it, especially Xavier. It may seem like the mutant protests are every where but the true opinion of mutants is polarized, and the support for their cause grows everyday. And that is thanks to the…Galactus incident and mutants helping to repeal the end of world. People are starting to see some of them as not being so bad; people actually see some of them as heroes. It sickens me."

Justin took a sip of his scotch as Graydon turned to face him. The older business man could see the hate in the younger man's eyes. He could see the deep rage and disgust that he held for mutants.

"All of them are diseases that need to be cured, that need to be purified from our pure world. And my friends and I will do just that, using their own filthy X-genes against them. I call it poetic justice." Graydon said.

"I understand your situation Graydon. I do, but I can not give you an unfinished product. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and while it is close it is not perfect."

"What's wrong with the product?" Graydon asked.

"In small doses the MGH will do as promised, give ordinary humans increased strength, speed, agility and in some cases a special ability or two but continued usage and in larger quantities there is a combustion element with deadly results." Said Justin.

"Combustion, as in burning or blowing up?" Graydon questioned.

"Precisely." He answered, "I have tried to rework the formula a few times and I have a new batch that I was testing however my associate I was using for the test was very recently let go."

Justin thought back to his Russian assassin. He hated that he had Gargan kill him but it needed to be done, because of his immense screw up of letting someone get their hands on his new batch of MGH pills.

"How long before a new batch can be ready?" Graydon asked.

"I have a small supply of the new batch remaining, to make another full set it would take a couple of weeks. And there is still the issue of combustion; I have no idea if that problem still exists. A proper test has not yet been completed."

Graydon put his hand to his chin and he slowly began to pace the space between him and Justin. The gears in his mind were turning, formulating a plan on how to continue with the setback that had been presented to him. He closed his eyes for a moment before coming to a stop and turning back to Justin.

"What is the dosage for the combustion element?" he asked.

"On the old batch, seven pills at one time, or a continued usage over the course of seven months."

"Start working on more of the new batch, and give me as much of the old as you can spare. I still think we can salvage our time table."

Justin nodded his head in return.

"I'm glad, but exactly what is the Friends of Humanity's plan?" Justin asked.

Graydon smiled a bit but the smile faded away.

"I would tell you, however in light of your recent exposure, I'm not inclined to do so." Graydon replied.

"After one incident you decide to revoke my status." Justin retorted.

"Revoke? No, if we revoked your status you would be dead, this is merely a demotion." Graydon replied.

Justin scoffed as he swiftly stood from his seat. The slight was great in his eyes; after years of hard work in one moment he was taken from his place in the group and once again reduced to a mere subordinate.

"Is there a problem?" Graydon asked.

Justin could hear the smugness in his voice, and see the smirk on his face. It was the same look that Fisk used to give him when he told him something he knew he would not like. It made him angry. And while he knew he was angry he could not let it show too much. He could not overplay his hand. Graydon Creed and his Friends of Humanity were another small stepping stone that would put him where he wanted to be. He reigned in his anger.

"No, there is no problem but you can rest assure that I'm currently cleaning this mess up." Justin said calmly.

"No, we're cleaning this mess up. Since this little meeting my phone has been vibrating non-stop, it only does that when bad news needs to be delivered to me. I'll worry about the premature exposure to the public and media. You worry about the MGH and we'll handle this screw up. Also, you will tell that lap dog of yours Gargan that he works for us now."

Justin forcibly put a smile on his face.

"I'll be sure to do just that." Justin replied.

"Good."

Graydon walked passed him and to the door, leaving Justin alone with his thoughts.

* * *

 **Elsewhere- Hardy Foundation**

Professor Farley Stillwell reclined in his seat looking away from the computer and to his companion, Ben Urich. He fanned the smoke from the cigarette that was in Ben's mouth and he pointed to the computer.

"Exactly what have you gotten yourself involved in Ben?" he asked.

"Oh you know the usual, a little murder, mystery and mayhem." Ben replied dryly, "What have you found? Exactly what am I dealing with?"

"From what I can tell this MGH as you call it is some sort of powerful hormone catalyst. I need more time to really analyze it and understand its make up but that's my best guess at the moment. I think it can boost certain cell hormones and cause some sort of change but the extent of the change I'm unsure about."

Ben took a drag of his cigarette and blew out the smoke before looking at the bag of MGH pills.

' _I have no doubt that Hammer is going to come looking for these pills. He would be stupid to not come looking for them. He's another man with too much money and time on his hands so there's no telling who he's going to send. I need to figure out the next move.'_ Ben thought to himself.

* * *

The intrepid reporter put his cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe and patted Professor Stillwell on the shoulder.

"Thanks Farley I really appreciate this and is there any way you can keep researching these pills for me. I'll leave you a couple and take the rest with me." He said.

Professor Stillwell nodded his head.

"Sure, any distraction is much appreciated." He replied.

"Are you still thinking about her?" Ben asked.

"Of course I am." Professor Stillwell said strongly, "I think about her everyday. I had finally found some sort of happiness with May and she was taken away from me, by that Green Goblin bastard. I can still smell the fire and the scent of my own burning flesh, along with hearing that horrible cackling."

"I know a good therapist that you could see." Said Ben.

Professor Stillwell waved him away.

"I don't need a shrink. I just need to keep staying busy, it helps."

Ben was about to respond when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and looked at the number before answering the call.

"What do you want Indy?" he asked.

" _Ben wherever you are drop everything, get your wife and Tommy and get to someplace safe._ " Indy said in a hushed whisper.

* * *

" _BEN URICH WHERE ARE YOU!"_ came a shout over the line.

* * *

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Roxxon." Indy replied.

There was a sound of something smashing and the line suddenly went dead. Ben ran out of the lab with the intentions of heading to his car and the Daily Bugle.

* * *

 **Daily Bugle**

The Scorpion stalked through the bullpen, his crazed eyes going from person to person, the blood still on him from his kill earlier for everyone to see. He didn't know what Ben Urich looked like but from the frightened faces that surrounded him he had no doubt it would be easy to find him if he asked. He glanced to his left and his tail lashed out and broke a table in half. The stinger then jammed itself into one of the broken halves, with a jerk of his body the Scorpion threw the broken desk across the bullpen where it smashed through a window and plummeted down below. Everyone gasped as fear gripped them all tightly.

"Ben Urich, show yourself, now! I won't ask again!" he yelled.

J. Jonah Jameson stepped out of his office, while puffing on his cigar. The harden editor blew out a thick haze of smoke as all eyes turned to him. Robbie stepped out of the office after him and was about to say something but Jameson beat him to it.

"Just who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing here?" J. Jonah demanded.

The Scorpion gritted his teeth and narrowed his crazed eyes.

"I am the guy that is going to kill all of you unless Ben Urich shows himself right damn now." He said menacingly.

"The police are on their way." Said Robbie.

The Scorpion laughed loudly.

"Is that supposed to scare me you old bastard? The police can't help ya and no clown in red and blue spandex is gonna swing in here and save any of ya. The only real chance ya got at living to see tomorrow is to hand over Urich."

"He's not here." Said Jameson.

"Call him!" Scorpion yelled, "I know he works for this trash newspaper-which means you all know where he lives. On second thought don't call him, give me his address."

* * *

J. Jonah puffed on cigar a little before glancing in Robbie's direction. Robbie nodded his head to him and he slowly and discreetly pulled the hammer back to the loaded revolver that was hidden in his pocket. Jameson grabbed the dwindling cigar in his mouth and he put it out on the desk that was next to him. He thought back to a moment in time when some masked gangsters once busted into his office one night.

They held him and Robbie and gunpoint and demanded that they bury one of the stories they had been working on and the name of the source that exposed their racketeering ring. J. Jonah wished he could say that he had been brave but on that day he was not. All he could think about was his wife Julia and his son John. He wanted to live to see tomorrow and so he sang like a canary. He burned the story in front of them and he told them the name of his source. It was not a day later that the said source was found dead on the street. It was on that day that he developed not only a hate for masked individuals but for anyone who thought they could bully him.

He made a mistake the last time and it was not a mistake that he intended to make again. He vowed that he would never be powerless again.

"Make me you f****** idiotic costumed psycho. You think you can barge into my paper, threaten my people and expect me to roll over for you. You can go straight to hell." He said.

* * *

J. Jonah prepared himself for the worst, and even though he was scared out of his mind he would not back down, nor would he roll over and die. He would fight back. The Scorpion stalked towards him until he towered over Jonah. The tall villain grabbed him by the suspenders and easily hoisted him up and to his face so they were nose to nose.

"Call me an idiot again." The Scorpion threatened.

Jonah felt the tendrils of fear creeping just a little higher as he stared the crazed man in the eyes. He readied himself for death and open his mouth to call him an idiot again when a shout got his attention.

"Hey idiot, let him go!"

* * *

Everyone turned to see Randy Robertson with a bat in his hand and a look of determination on his face. The young man brandished the bat in front of him and he stared down the Scorpion.

' _Oh God what am I doing, Flash and the others are not here to back me up but I have to do something what would Spider-Man do. He would probably do something Amazing but me…what can I do,, maybe I can stall long enough for the police to arrive…or something.'_ He thought to himself.

"Let him go!" he shouted.

"Randy run!" Robbie shouted as he pulled out his gun.

The Scorpion saw the flash of metal out of the corner of his eyes, he only had seconds to react and with his enhanced reflexes that was all he needed. He managed to duck his head just as Robbie let off a round.

 **BANG!** Came the sound. The sound of the gunshot was all that was needed to send the men and women in the bullpen running in terror for the exit, each of them screaming at the top of their lungs.

* * *

The Scorpion growled and smacked Robbie and Jameson with his tail, sending the two old reporters crashing to the ground. The tailed villain looked around as they all ran and he gritted his teeth. Everything was still spiraling out of control. It was supposed to be simple but nothing in his life was ever simple.

"EVERYONE STOP!" he yelled, but no one listened, they all kept running for the exit.

The Scorpion growled and turned towards Robbie and J. Jonah. He spotted Robbie reaching for the fallen gun; out the corner of his eye he spotted a burly looking man diving for the gun as well. The prehensile appendage wrapped around the man's throat and pulled him close.

"Where is Ben Urich?" he growled.

"I don't know, y-you mutant freak!" the man gurgled out.

The Scorpion's eye twitched with a thought his tail tightened around the man's neck and a loud audible crack echoed through the bullpen. Gargan uncaringly tossed the lifeless body across the room.

* * *

"Every one get to the exit and someone call the police!" said Randy.

Randy stood his ground and gulped as he saw the man the Scorpion just killed. He knew he did not stand a chance and he wanted to run but he couldn't because his father was still on the ground. He could see him trying to reach for the gun.

"No, don't do it dad!" Said Randy.

The Scorpion's red stinger easily pierced through the metal of the gun breaking it in half. Robbie slowly looked up to see Gargan staring down at him with a glare.

"Tell me what I want to know." He said.

"I don't sell people out." Robbie replied.

"DAD MOVE!" Robbie shouted.

The Scorpion out the corner of his eye spotted Randy running towards him with what looked like a chair in hand. He stood his ground even as Randy reached him and smashed the chair into his back. The chair burst into splinters. Gargan scoffed.

"What was that supposed to do?" he asked.

Randy said a curse and tried to throw a punch even though he knew it would not do anything, he had to at least try because that's what a hero would do and that's what Spider-Man would do if he were still swinging around. The Scorpion easily grabbed Randy's fist and hoisted him up.

"NO!" Robbie yelled.

The Scorpion looked Robbie in the eye and he could see the fear and fury that only a father could posses when his child was in danger. He knew the look all too well because he was feeling the same thing, the fear of never seeing his children and the fury at his ex-wife Michelle for taking them away. He would do anything for his kids just as he knew Robbie would do the same. The Scropion squeezed Randy's arm tightly and with his strength the bones easily began to break.

"ARGHHHHH!" Randy screamed.

"Give me Ben Urich or I'll gut your boy instead of just breaking his arm." He said.

Robbie gritted his teeth; the reporter instincts and fatherly instincts briefly clashing with the other but the fatherly side taking hold. He was about concede when Indy's voice filled the air.

"Stop!" she screamed.

The Scorpion, Randy and Robbie turned their attention to her. She looked at Randy and then to the deranged villain that looked like a ghoulish creature that crawled out of her worst nightmare.

"Leave them alone. I know why you're here, you don't just want Ben you want anyone that can connect you to some red pills." She said

The Scorpion tossed Randy across the room where he slammed hard into the wall and he jumped to Indy and grabbed her by the front of her clothes.

"Not another word girl." He growled.

"I can take you to Ben, I know the place he drinks at around this time of day. He's there I promise, just leave everyone else alone."

The Scorpion heard the sounds of sirens coming and knew that his time as well as his patience was beginning to wane. He set her down and then turned and grabbed her with his tail. The scaly appendage wrapped around her tightly. Indy was terrified but her eyes went to the now unconscious Randy, his father Robbie and J. Jonah.

She could not let anything happen to them. The breath briefly left her lungs as she felt herself pulled forward when the Scorpion suddenly rushed towards Jameson's office. He burst through the doors and jumped towards the window.

 **SMASH!** Came the sound of him breaking through the glass.

* * *

The two of them hung in the air for a moment before the pull of gravity was too great. Indy screamed at the top of her lungs as thy fell, but the Scorpion was focused and calm; he reached out and with his sharp claws, he dug into the side of the building scratching up chunks of brick. The move slowed their descent just enough to where he was able to spring off the side and sail towards the adjacent building.

 **THUD!** Came the sound of the Scorpion landing on the roof. He dashed across the cement and to the edge where he jumped off and to the next building. The villain kept bounding from building to building until he landed in an alley that was about ten blocks away. He looked to the left just as a van pulled into the alley and flashed its lights.

* * *

The Scorpion walked towards the van and as he did that he brought his tail over to his face where he and Indy were nose to nose.

"What's the name of the place?" He growled.

"You work for Justin Hammer don't you." She asked.

"Yeah I do, now tell me what you know. I'd hate to have to ruin your pretty face." He said.

Indy took in a few deep breaths and she hung her head. She was terrified but this is the life that she had chosen. Ben often told her that being an investigative journalist was a dangerous job, the price for reporting the truth was wrought with dangerous situations, people and if not careful it could result in death but the moment she stepped into the Daily Bugle, the moment she smelled the fresh ink on the papers, the hustle and bustle of the journalist all vying for the story of the year she had known that she would gladly pay that price, but she would not make it easy.

"Okay. He's at a bar near Hell's Kitchen."

The side of the van opened and The Scorpion with her in tow stepped inside.

* * *

 **Midtown- Little Later**

Acting Captain Terri Lee stepped out of her car and she walked towards her former partner and Captain George Stacy. She looked him over and recoiled a bit.

"You look like hell." She said.

"Feel like it too." He replied.

"George what the hell is going on? First your apartment, then that building blows up and now I'm getting all sorts of calls about shootouts, military grade weapons and some freak with a tail."

"That case about the missing girl you tossed my way is spiraling into something else. I just tried to get someone who could help but I don't know if he got the message." He said.

"The two officers I put on that apartment building in hell's kitchen are in critical condition."

"Jesus." George whispered, "It's Roxxon retaliating. I need you to do me a favor."

"Name it." Terri replied.

"How fast can you get me some eyes on Justin Hammer?" George asked.

"It shouldn't take too long, he's a big wig." Terri replied.

"Good, once you have a location on him call me and also I need to use your bike." He said.

Terri's eyes widened at the mention of one her most prized possession, her Suzuki motorcycle. It was a gift from her Uncle before he died several years ago. She had spent the little free time she had fixing it up and making it good as new. She only rode it on occasion and most of the time it was kept in a storage locker.

"Not my baby." She said.

"I need it please. I promise I will bring it back in one piece." He said.

Terri grumbled to herself as she reached for her ring of keys. She took off two of them and placed them in George's hand.

"Storage place near my house. I swear if there is one scratch on it, I will kick your ass." she said seriously

"Dually noted, I'll take good care of her. Thanks Terri." He said.

George briskly walked away from Terri and towards the stairs that would lead him to the subway below.

* * *

 **Bar- Near Hell's Kitchen**

A lone man sat at the bar with a cigar in one hand and pint of beer in the other. He took a long swig from the ice cold beer before firmly placing the cigar between his lips and taking a drag. He blew the smoke of out his nose and let out a grunt. After several beers and cigars he had finally found himself to be at peace, which was something that he needed at the moment. The lone man had once again been rejected by the object of his affections. A tall and beautiful red-headed woman. She was unlike any other woman in his long life and on matter how many times he made his feelings known she would always choose someone else over him. And he would always find himself at this particular bar, alone.

The lone man finished off the rest of the beer before tapping the hard worn out wooden counter top.

"Another." He said.

The Bartender grabbed the cup and refilled it with the quickness and handed it back to him.

"Thanks." The lone man grunted.

* * *

The Bartender opened his mouth to reply when the peace that the lone man had sought was broken by the doors being busted open at the hinges.

The Scorpion stepped through the threshold of the door he kicked off the hinges and into the bar. He scanned the dive bar and only saw the frightened bartender and one man sitting at the counter. He was short, and hairy and wearing a white tank with blue jeans and black boots.

"W-W-Who are you?" The Bartender called out.

"Ben Urich, you're coming with me." Said The Scorpion.

The short hairy man slowly turned and looked at the Scorpion with a bored expression on his face. He then turned back around to his beer.

"Listen up Urich, get your ass up or I'll make up get up." The Scorpion threatened as he continued forward. He came to a stop once he was standing over the man at the bar, "I have you're little girl in the van. She told me this is where I could find you. You both have stumbled into something that's gonna get you…."

"Go F*** yourself ya ugly sonuva bitch." He said.

The Scorpion heard the name and his eye twitched. He then reached out and sunk his claws into the man's shoulder earning several drop of blood and a grunt of pain. He lifted the man out of the chair and threw him into a table knocking it over. The Scorpion started over but a roar the downed man made him come to a stop. He watched as the man stood up, cracked his neck before turning and hold both his hands up.

"RAHHHHHH!" He growled.

* * *

The Scorpion took a step back as three metal claws from the back of his hands popped out.  
 **SKNKTT!** Came the sound, followed another yell as the man leaped forward.

"Oh sh**!" said the Scorpion.

* * *

 **Outside the Bar**

Indy smiled to herself as she and military geared men heard the commotion coming from within the bar.

' _I see Wolverine was inside, thank God. I hope he can deal with the freak with the tail, now all I need to do is find out who these guys are and what Roxxon is up to.'_ She thought to herself.

The young and intrepid reporter slowly reached into her coat pocket and she palmed the recorder and she pressed play. She cleared her throat, catching the attention of her captors.

"So who the heck are you guys? I mean I know I'm probably not going to live to see tomorrow, but at least before I kick the bucket you can tell me your angle. Everyone's got an angle right" she said.

One of the armed men scoffed in indignation.

"Angle?" he said, "We don't have an angle. You speak as if we're doing some sort of publicity stunt, no our mission, our agenda is much deeper and more important than that. We are only concerned about that which matter most and it's humanity. Humanity's survival in a world infested with genetic and mutant freaks."

"Not fans of diversity I see." Indy replied.

"Mock us all you like but we are fighting the true enemy. We are the Friends of Humanity and we will prevail in our campaign against all that threaten to end us, which means mutants, gene freaks, and alien freaks."

"Friends of Humanity, I see." She said "So does that mean Justin Hammer and Roxxon are your friends?" she asked.

"Hammer and his company are a means to an end and pretty soon their purpose will be at an end." A female replied.

* * *

Indy raised an eyebrow but before she could press her captors the entire van shook as back doors opened then closed; a scratched, battered, and bloodied Scorpion looked towards the driver.

"DRIVE!" he shouted at the driver before turning his angry eyes to Indy, "That wasn't Urich was it."

"Nope, that was the Wolverine and he's going to shred you to pieces." She said.

A pair of metal claws sliced through the back of the van, in the shape of an X before falling away revealing a battle worn Logan. Indy spotted her one and only chance to escape. She scrambled to the back and jumped out and into the arms of Logan as the van started to move.

"NOO!" The Scorpion's voice echoed as the van sped away.

* * *

Logan snarled as he looked at Indy who held onto him for dear life.

"I am so happy to see you!" she said.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"I'm Indy, a friend of Ben Urich, we've met like three times." She said

"I was probably drunk all those times little girl, now talk, what the hell is going on and who was the bastard with the tail?" he asked.

"I think that was the Scorpion, and he works for Roxxon. Roxxon is owned by Justin Hammer who I just found out is in bed with some people named the Friends of Humanity. They created this drug called MGH which is a hormone that is harvested from dead mutants. I don't know what it does or where it's made but you have to do something, innocent people and innocent mutants are dying." She said.

Logan grunted.

"This ain't what I had in mind today." He said.

"Well then call the other X-Men or something." She replied

"The X-Men need a little R&R after our last scuffle." Logan replied in a gruff tone.

"Well either do something or call someone else, because I'm pretty sure more mutants are going to end up dead if these Friend of Humanity guys get their way."

The feral mutant lifted one of his claws that had the Scorpion's blood on it. He sniffed it and then sniffed the air. He sifted through the scents until he locked on to the faint scent of the Scorpion's blood. Logan set Indy down and grumbled as he started in the direction that the Scorpion and Friends of Humanity fled.

* * *

Indy watched him go, she reached into her pocket and she pulled out her tape recorder and pressed rewind then play. A grin formed on her face as her conversation in van played.

"Story of the year." She whispered.

* * *

 **Roxxon's Secret Base- Across Town- Later**

Graydon Creed smiled as he hung up the phone with is associate Donald Pierce, who was an elite mercenary chosen by him for a righteous cause. He was frustrated with the fact that several costumed idiots had stumbled upon his team, but they would soon be dealt with swiftly. He was mostly frustrated with Justin Hammer's incompetence but there was no situation that could not be worked out in his favor, no, he was too close to his goal. And that goal is the Mutant Registration Act; the act was so close he could taste it, just another little push in the right direction.

He heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him. Graydon turned to see The Scorpion walking up behind him, the mere sight of him sent a small tendril of fear down his spine, the fear was quickly replaced with hate. He hated having to work with freaks like Gargan but it was the price he had to pay to achieve his goal.

Gargan came to a stop. He shoved a briefcase full of the old volatile batch of MGH pills into his chest.

"Hammer wanted you to have this." He growled.

* * *

Graydon was about to respond when he noticed the scratch marks on Gargan's face, arms and chest; the troops that were with him earlier told him about their run in with Wolverine. He remembered his own encounter with the short hairy mutant and how he laughed and refused his generous offer to kill his father for him. He also remembered how his father found out about him approaching Wolverine, and the violent and cruel beating he received after. Graydon unconsciously gripped the briefcase a little tighter. The hate he held for his father ran deep, and the less said about his manipulative mother the better.

They were both powerful and they both resented and belittled him for not being like them, for being…human. He would show them both as well as everyone like them just how powerful a human can be, and when they beg him to save them he would look down upon them and scream—No. And he would do it with a smile, but knowing his parents they would not go down easy and while his plans come to fruition it would be nice to have some extra muscle that he could control.

Gargan's tail slithered up behind him and the stinger drifted close to Graydon's face.

"Get out of here." He said.

"I'm on my way, but before I go I would like to leave you this card." Graydon replied while reaching into his pocket and retrieving a blank card with a number on it, "Justin Hammer is a well meaning gentleman but his incompetence knows no bounds, whatever he has promised you he will not be able to provide. However, I can, give me a call when you want something better."

Gargan took the card and he watched him leave with his briefcase full unstable MGH pills.

* * *

 **Across Town-Later-Night- Ravencroft- Roof-Top**

Under the moonlight that hung high in the sky, Peter Parker put on the costume that was given to him by the Black Cat. The fabric was light, breathable and form hugging. It was an identical replica of the black costume that he wore when the alien symbiote had taken him over. It brought back some memories of how different and more edgier he had become under the influence of the alien parasite but given the fact that it was all he had he settled for the black suit.

Peter looked at black mask in his hands and giant white reflective lens. He thought back to the words of those he had lost, and then he held his head high, slipped his mask on and stepped to the ledge.

"Alright New York, The Amazing Spider-Man has returned." He said to himself.

* * *

Spider-Man looked down at his wrist and he heaved a sigh. He had no web-shooters, he had thrown his last pair into the river and they had been sitting there for about year, there was no way that they were not ruined beyond repair. The young hero wracked his brain trying to think if he had an extra pair anywhere and the only pair that came to mind was the pair that he had the dojo that he used to use when he trained with Daredevil. It was a couple of days before they had gone out to fight the Kingpin. He had made a new pair and left the old ones there, it was a long shot that they were still in working order.

"I'll have to try anyway." He said to himself "I just need them to work long enough to help Captain Stacy with his missing person case. And then I'll worry about making another set. It's just my luck that I'm not too far away."

Spider-Man hopped over the edge and he sprang off the pole that was several feet below. He felt the wind against his costume as he sailed through the air and to the next building, where he deftly landed on the ledge and ran across. Spider-Man bounded across the rooftops of New York as he headed in the direction of Daredevil's secret training place.

* * *

 **End Chapter: Hey Readers it's me Nomad88—Wow, yeah I know it's been a while. No I'm not dead, nor have I abandoned my story. I've been hit with several blows from life; couple of deaths in the family, depression….and a few other things that I rather not get into. The fact of the matter is I'm better, through God, Family, and Friends. I'm back and all brand new.**

 **I thank everyone that sent me PM's encouraging me and reassuring me that whenever I returned that they would be there. I appreciate that, and to everyone who sent me a frustrated PM, I understand your frustration and I hope this chapter and all the future chapters make up for my absence.**

 **Next Up: The Defenders Unite**

 **Summary: The Marvel Knights/Defenders unite to fight for their lives against the Purifiers. George Stacy and Wolverine have a run in with the Scorpion again, while Jessica makes a discovery. Be There!**


	12. Chapter 10: The Defenders Unite

**Disclaimer: Hey you all know the saying. I don't own any of these characters all credit and rights go to Marvel, Stan the Man Lee, and Disney. No money is being exchanged or in my hands.**

 **Hey readers it's me Nomad88 back with another chapter, and yes it's not a year later. Again everyone I apologize for the long wait. There were many factors that went into my hiatus, and through my closest of friends and family I've made it through and I'm back and better than ever, just like Spidey lol. Anyway, you all know the drill please continue to read and review(A writer's main source of motivation) and of course enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Defenders Unite**

 **Streets of New York**

Ben Urich flicked his last cigarette out the window of his speeding car as he tore down the street. He tried to concentrate on the road and block out the screaming voices of his wife Doris Urich and son Tim Urich but it was proving to be a difficult feat. He looked through the rear view mirror and he could see the van that were chasing behind him.

"What the hell is going on Ben!" said Doris

"It's the story of the year if we survive." He said under his breath.

Ben said a curse as he and his family felt one of the cars from behind ram them. They were gaining; it was a miracle that he was able to get to his family in the nick of time. After he got the call from Indy he had rushed over to the Bugle and it was a complete and utter circus. It was full of news crews, EMS, police, even Jonah's son John was there. Everyone was reeling from the attack made by Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion. At the sight of it, all of the death, destruction as well as Indy's kidnapping, he knew it was his fault and it pained him.

He could see the worry and hurt in Robbie's eyes when he went to the hospital. Randy was rushed there for internal bleeding because his spleen had been ruptured and the doctor's were working hard to save his life. Robbie wanted to know why the Scorpion had been looking for him but he could not reveal the reasoning just yet at least not until he himself knew the whole story. And the only way to get the whole story is if he survived.

* * *

Ben stepped on the gas as he glanced at his rear view mirror again. He gritted his teeth as they were rammed once more. After the brief meeting with Robbie, he got a call from Indy who told him all about her escape, Hammer and him being in bed with the Friends of Humanity. He quickly realized that if they were after him then it would only be a matter of time before they got to his family. He managed to reach them but just as they got into the car Hammer's men or the Friends of Humanity were right on their tale.

Ben grabbed his phone and he dialed a set of numbers he knew by heart. He prayed with all of his might that Matt would pick up.

' _If there was ever a time I needed a hero this is it.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

 **Daredevil's Training place**

A mask-less man without fear placed another ice pack on his slightly swollen jaw and he let out a long sigh. He could ' _see'_ his allies clearly thanks to the arguing. He could feel their frustration because it was something he was feeling himself. They had all failed in their attempts to save one of their own. They had each failed to save Jessica Jones once known to them as Jewel, and this was the second time they had failed her.

Matt remembered the day he had called all of them together to form a group and when one of them went missing the group did nothing. They may have searched a little but they did not find her. It hurt him that he did not do more but her trail had gone so cold that there was no way for him to find her. It was only after a year or so that she had just appeared on Luke's radar and that was by accident.

He did not know what happened but before he could ask she was kidnapped again. Matt spit out some blood in the trash and he stood from his seat. He would not let her trail go cold again, and every minute they spent squabbling was another second the trail was lost.

"Can everyone just please call down?" He said.

* * *

Colleen whipped towards Matt with an angry look upon her face.

"Calm down? Please. You would be pissed too if you almost got killed by some freak with a tail." She said.

"Probably, but I was almost killed too only by cyborg by the name of Donald Pierce." Matt replied.

Luke shook his head.

"Cyborgs, Freaks with Tails, shady governments. Sweet Christmas, can you believe the lives we live." He said, "Colleen tone it back some, we all got our asses handed to us today, but getting pissy at each other ain't helping the situation."

"Do not tell me what to do Lucas." She snapped.

"Hmph, still pissed I didn't call huh." He said.

* * *

As the others were beginning to argue again, Danny handed Misty a long case. She took it with her left hand and she set it down on the ground. She opened it and there was another replacement bionic arm for the one that she had lost earlier in the day thanks to the Scorpion. After being interrogated by the cops for hours, she had made a call to Danny and he told them where to meet, and what he would have for her.

Misty smiled at him.

"Thanks." She said.

He nodded his head back to her.

"It's not the same as the one you had before, there's no Stark Tech but Randy Industries has its own bells and whistles." He said.

"It's fine Danny. Iron Man owes me one, I'll get him to make an update but for now this will do perfectly." She replied.

* * *

Misty picked up the bionic arm and placed her stump near the open socket, once it was in place the arm beeped and dozens of tiny needles inserted themselves into Misty's flesh. She grimaced only a little but the pain was wiped away once it synced with her nerve endings. Misty moved her mechanical hands and opened and closed them before smiling at Danny sweetly, however the moment between the two was broken as the voices in the dojo area began to grow louder.

Misty sighed.

"Hey! Everyone the F*** chill out!" she screamed, "Look I love a good argue as the next person but Luke is right getting pissy at each other ain't gonna get us any closer to finding Jessica. We let her down in a big f***** way last time, let's not make the same mistake twice. We all got attacked today by people whom I am sure are working together. And that's what we need to do, work together because we're the Defenders right." She said.

"Defenders?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah, we need our own handle. You got Shield out there shielding things, the Fantastic Four being fantastic and the Avengers avenging because they…Avenge or whatever hell it is that they do, but us, we represent the little people We defend the streets. So we're the Defenders."

"I like it." Said Danny.

"It has a nice ring to it." Said Luke.

* * *

Matt shook his head at the name and was about to respond when his phone began to ring. He walked to the ringing phone and he answered the call. The others watched intently as an array of emotions ran across his face while he talked to whoever was on the other line.

"We'll be ready." He said.

Matt hung up the phone and he grabbed his mask off the counter and he slipped it on his head. DD then walked towards the solid brick wall all the while tilting his head, listening intently. He sifted through all the loud sounds around him until he locked onto something that was familiar to him, it was fear. He could faintly hear the sounds of speeding tires, panicked voices, and the sound of something else that he could not place, but whatever it was it was indeed trouble.

"What is it Matt?" Luke asked.

"Trouble, so Defenders, get ready to Defend." He said.

* * *

 **Outside- Roof-Tops**

Spider-Man flipped through the air and he landed on a clothes line, he ran across the thin line for a moment before springing off and through the air once more. He had forgotten the thrill of being weightless through the air, the feel of the wind along his body as he moved about the city like an Olympic gymnast.

Spider-Man rolled in the air and landed on the side of an office building, he ran along the glass and then jumped to the adjacent building and continued his trek. At the end of the building he jumped and sailed through the air once, before he knew it a loud shout of joy left his lips.

' _Even though I might be going as fast as I like, I have to admit that this is amazing.'_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Spidey let out another shout of joy before reaching a water tower and springing off with one hand. He tucked his body and rolled in the air for a second longer and landed on an electronic billboard that had J. Jonah Jameson's face along with a headline. Spider-Man took a moment to the read the headline.

' _Looks like Gargan is on the rampage. He has to be stopped, I hate that I was not able to catch him before….before my retirement, but now I'm back and he is at the top of my priority list.'_ He thought to himself.

The headline changed to that of Robbie's son Randy laying in the hospital. Spider-Man gripped his fist tightly, he still remembered the last time he saw Gargan, and what he had said to him.

* * *

 _ **Flashback**_

" _This ain't over web-head! Not by a long-shot!"_ The Scorpion yelled.

* * *

 **Present**

"Damn right, this is not over." He said to himself.

Spider-Man prepared to continue his journey to Daredevil's spot when his spider-sense nudged him. He looked down to see what looked like a car being chased by three unmarked black vans. He saw one of the van ram into the end of the car. Spider-Man felt his spider-sense come to life again and so he looked to the sky as he heard the faint sound of a helicopter flying over head in the same direction of the car and unmarked vans and they all were going in the direction of Daredevil's training spot.

"Well, that's not ominous at all." He said, "I wonder where they're going? I don't know maybe in the same direction I'm going, which means this is going to be a long night. And so my watch begins."

Spider-Man thrusted his hand out like he was about to fire a web and that's when he remembered that he didn't have any. He groaned and jumped to the nearest ledge and followed as fast as he could after the vans and helicopter.

* * *

 **In the Air**

Donald Pierce took his mechanical gloved hand off of the last switch inside the helicopter. It was a trigger to a new piece of tech that masked the sound and camouflaged, the helicopter; it was a gift from one of the many benefactors behind the Purifies and Friends of Humanity. He glanced in the pilot's direction and he smirked.

"It's time for us to run silent, run deep." He said before placing a hand to his ear, "Alright people look alive. I know the place Urich is heading for because I've been scouting these vigilante folks for a time. We gon kill two birds with one stone but we have to be precise, like a surgical knife, too much noise has already been made, and we're too crucial a stage for anymore mishaps like this morning. We are the last line of defense against thah muties and freak tyranny that has run rampant. Ben Urich and these costumed folk have poked their noses in our business and they must be purified so that the human species can live and live free. They must be purified silently. Snipers get ready to be placed. I want a perimeter set and if you see a shot take it."

* * *

Two snipers opened one side of the helicopter clipped ropes to their belts and as the helicopter began to slow up a bit they repelled out the side and slide down to the roof-tops below.

* * *

The two snipers quickly ran to the edge of the roof that was about five miles away from Daredevil's training spot. It only took them a few seconds to set up their rifles and peer through the scope. The scope locked onto the brick wall, and with a simple click of a button the scope changed to that of a deep green hue and allowed the snipers to see through the brick wall and all of the targets inside as clear as day.

"We're in position."

* * *

 **IN the Air**

The silent and camouflaged helicopter rose high into the air and continued towards the building with the targets inside. Pierce looked down below to see Ben Urich's car come to a stop in front of the building. He watched as the investigative journalist along with his family ran inside.

He hated having to kill human civilians but he knew it was a necessary evil to keep the lid on their big plans to solve the mutant problem. He knew that Ben had to die along with anyone he spoke to about Roxxon.

"Alpha team, hold your positions outside." Said Pierce.

The vans down below came to a stop but no one exited the van. Pierce put his hand to his ear again.

"Sniper team, give me a sit rep on what's inside." He said.

* * *

 **KRZZZ**

" _We see five individuals. All are from the files you gave us; we can see Daredevil, Cage, Rand, and the two chicks from earlier. All of them look like sh**, Gargan did a number on them."_

* * *

"He does not deserve all the credit. And by tha way those two chicks, their names are Misty Knight who is ah former officer of tha law, and Colleen Wing, Japanese Special Forces and intel gathering. Show some respect. These people deserve better than tha deaths they're gonna get."

" _We have visual on Urich. He just entered, shall we take the shot_?"

"Yes."

* * *

 **Training Spot**

Ben and his family burst into the large and open training spot. He slammed the door shut but as he did that his wife started to scream, because standing behind them was Daredevil.

"Quiet." He said.

* * *

Doris instantly closed her mouth. He could hear something, someone yelling in the distance.

" _DD, SNIPERS ON THE ROOF! MOVE!"_ came a voice he recognized and trusted.

Daredevil's eyes widen and he grabbed Urich and his family and dragged them to the ground just as a bullet hole the size of a walnut emerged through the brick wall and through the door.

* * *

 **Roof-Top**

"I hope DD heard my oh so subtle warning." Spider-Man said to himself as he landed on the roof.

The Snipers heard the shout and stood up while turning their weapons him.

"Sir, we have a negative on hitting Urich, but we have a new target and you won't believe who it is."

* * *

 **In the air**

"Dammit all they missed, Alpha team converge." Said Pierce.

He turned his attention to where his snipers were supposed to be and put a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

"Well, ain't this a kick in the head, it's Spider-Man. Well this changes a few things." He said to himself.

Pierce took the binoculars away from his eyes, and he began to think about the current situation before him.

"Sir." Said the Pilot.

* * *

Pierce glanced at him.

"Soldier, Ah need you to switch seats with me and do me a favor." He said.

"Anything sir."

"Be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice." He replied.

* * *

 **Roof-Tops**

The Snipers opened fired on Spider-Man who jumped in the air, he twisted out of the way of the bullets and he landed in-between the two of them. He dropped low and swept one them off their feet, he then grabbed the fallen sniper weapon and came up and smacked the other one in the chin. The sniper fell to the ground groaning.

Spidey kicked him in the face knocking him out before turning back to the one he swept who was trying to crawl away. Spider-Man flipped and landed in front of him. He grabbed the fallen purifier and easily hoisted him up with one hand.

"You're the, You're the…."

"The Grinch. And yes I know I'm a little early for Christmas." Spidey replied flippantly, "Now tell me what's going on?"

"No." The Purifier said defiantly.

Spider-Man punched the sniper in the face knocking him out. He then looked towards the training spot and he could hear yelling, fighting, and he could faintly hear some shooting.

"It's not like I need you anyway. I'm sure I'm about to find out all on my own." He said.

Spider-Man ran and jumped to the next building.

* * *

 **Training Spot**

Ben Urich and his family were in one of the corners of the room and standing between them and death was the Defenders, who lived up to their recently acquired name. Luke Cage took point and was the last line of defense to the Urich family, he watched out for anyone that got too close and for any bullets that were heading their way.

Luke jumped to the left and took the bullets that were aimed for Urich, they harmlessly bounced off of him and to the ground. The Purifiers charged at Luke and he smiled.

"Bring it." He said.

He backed handed one sending him flying across the room, while he picked up the other one and brought him down over his knee.

* * *

As Luke dealt with the attackers that go too close to Urich the others made themselves the first and second line of defense. In front of Luke were Colleen and Misty Knight.

Colleen side-kicked a purifier and he went tumbling back to the ground. She pulled out her sword then jammed it into the man's leg earning a scream of pain. She then jumped into the air and kicked the purifier that was coming up behind her in the face. Her injuries from the fight with the Scorpion earlier were still evident. After the jump kick she fell to a knee for a split second.

Colleen heard someone scream.

"DIE!" came the voice.

Colleen saw the gunman and she gasped. He pulled the trigger but instead of killing her it bounced off Misty's golden arm.

"I got your back girl, but now ain't the time for a rest." She said.

Misty aimed her arm and a slot on the forearm opened and from the port a cannon emerged and a concentrated blast of electricity fired out and hit the purifier in his chest shocking him until he passed out. Misty helped Colleen up and the two women stood back to back, ready to take on the next wave of Purifiers that managed to get past the first line which was Daredevil and the Immortal Iron Fist.

* * *

DD and Iron Fist took the brunt of the waves of skilled Purifiers. DD used his escrima sticks to block two simultaneous attacks; he ducked under a kick from the third Purifier that was in front of him. He kicked the woman in the shin breaking it and then shifted his weight to the left and head-butted the man to his left. Another Purifier emerged and tried to wrap a thin wire around his neck but DD managed to get his escrima sticks up to protect himself from being cut. The two struggled for a moment before DD started backwards and rammed him into the wall. The grip slacked a bit he didn't completely release his hold.

DD heard the sound of feet and his radar picked up on a Purifier coming right towards him with a punch. He steeled himself as the punch connected with his jaw. He tasted blood but it only made him smile before delivering a thrust kick to the stomach of the enemy that punched him.

* * *

Iron Fist did his best to fend off the attacks that came his way as well. He was doing a bit better than the others thanks in part to his fist and his training from the monks and Immortals in the land of K'un-Lun. Danny kneed a Purifier in the stomach and then rolled over the man's back and kicked a charging female in the face. He made his fist glow with his chi, illuminating the room for a moment.

"I think its time to air this place out." He said to himself.

Iron Fist backflipped out the way out of a knife being thrown at his head and he continued to flip until he was next to the far side wall. The fist glowed brightly, and he struck the wall.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of the wall being blown outward. The force from the hit caused everyone to loose their balance for a moment, and allowed the summer breeze inside.

"Okay everybody out!" Iron Fist yelled, "Luke get them to safety."

* * *

Iron Fist felt the wind kick up around him, and that's when he and the other Defenders noticed a military helicopter uncloak itself in front of them. Daredevil smacked a Purifier in the face and then tilted his head to the sound of gears turning. He could hear the voice of Donald Pierce talking to someone as well as the sound of a gun turret being primed.

"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" He screamed.

* * *

The gun turret emerged from the bottom of the helicopter and unleashed a barrage of bullets. Iron Fist barely managed to charge his fist with is chi and use it to stop the barrage that came at him. The bullets ricochet off of his hand but the force sent him flying backwards.

Luke turned his back to the open space and used his body to protect Urich and his family. Misty, Colleen and Daredevil all dove for any type of cover they could find.

* * *

 **Helicopter**

"This is not how ah wanted this done but nobody said anything bout Spider-Man showing up. So ah'll have to make this quick and nasty." Pierce whispered to himself. He made sure to spray the turret bullets in every single direction, not caring if he was hitting his own troops. He only wanted Urich dead, people respected and listened to journalist of his caliber and the media could not get a whiff of their plans unless deemed necessary by Creed. He owed Creed too much to fail now.

* * *

 **Training Spot**

Luke gritted his teeth against the barrage of bullets as he did his best to protect the Urich family. The first couple of bullets he didn't feel but as the turret centered directly upon him he started to feel something that he had not felt in a while and that was pain.

"Somebody do something! ARGHHHHHH" Luke shouted.

The Hero for hire glanced over his shoulder to see that the others were pinned down, anytime they tried to move the turret would quickly turn in their direction before turning back to him.

* * *

 **In the air**

"That damn Luke Cage, bulletproof even against these bullets, if that ain't amazing then I don't know what…" he started to say, but a knock at the window beside him caught his attention.

Donald Pierce narrowed his eyes as he saw the black and white clad Spider-Man next to him.

"Hi! I'm with New York City's helicopter cleaning service. I noticed you have a couple of dirt spots on your glass. Do you mind if I take a look?" said Spider-Man.

The wall crawler crawled towards the front of the helicopter.

* * *

"I see the problem right here, let me fix it." Said Spider-Man before punching the glass and cracking it badly.

Donald ceased his attack on the other Defenders and swerved on the controls. Spider-Man clung to his spot and he struck the glass again only this time breaking it completely.

 **SMASHHHHH!** Came the sound.

"There we go, no more dirt but I think you might need a new windshield, luckily I know a guy." He said.

* * *

Spider-Man reached towards Pierce and grabbed him by the front of his gear but at that moment his spider-sense went off again. The co-pilot lunged at him and wrapped his arm around his neck.

"Whoah there Baloo, you're in my personal space." Said Spider-Man while letting go of Pierce and prying the co-pilot of him. The co-pilot glanced at Pierce.

"God with the Lord my son." Said Pierce.

* * *

Spider-Man then spotted the grenade in the soldier's hand just as he pulled the pin with his teeth, and at the same time Pierce twisted the controls. Spidey with the co-pilot in tow jumped off of the helicopter, the wall-crawler kicked the grenade out of the man's hand, sending it flying upwards.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of the explosion.

* * *

Spider-Man fell through the air with the co-pilot in his hand and right before they passed the training spot where the Defenders where he reached out and grabbed onto the edge of the blown out wall. He turned his head towards the Helicopter that was flying away.

"Wow, that escalated quickly." He whispered.

"You should have let me die!" the co-pilot yelled.

Spider-Man kneed him in the face, knocking him out before hoisting both of them up and into the nearly destroyed training place.

* * *

 **Training Spot**

"Well look what the wind blew in."

Spider-Man looked towards Luke who nodded in his direction. The other Defenders started to recover and make their way over to Spider-Man.

"Good to see you back again." Said DD

"I see you're up to the same ol stuff." Spidey replied.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked.

"Oh you know, I was in the neighborhood, and I saw a car being chased by some vans with some mysteriously armed people inside along with a helicopter. So I figured I'd follow it and lo and behold here I am. Anyone mind telling me what's going on because I'm in the middle of my own thing."

"I think I can." Said Ben who nodded at him as well, "I can tell you what's happening and what will happen if you all do not stop Justin Hammer."

* * *

 **Dreamscape/Memory**

"WAKE UP!"

Jessica felt herself being kicked off a bed and to the ground. She then felt someone grab her by the hair and yank her face upwards. The Purple Man glared down at her with an evil stare. She saw a couple of bruises on his face but they were beginning to heal. He reared his hand back and slapped her as hard as he could across the face. He did it two more times before yelling at her again.

"I hate you!" he yelled.

* * *

Purple Man grabbed her and flipped her over onto her back and grabbed her by the neck choking her.

"Every last one of you costumed f****! I'm gonna kill all of you one day. Each of you slowly, and I may just start with you. SAY YOU LOVE ME! WHY WON'T YOU SAY IT!"

Jessica felt the breath leaving her lungs as darkness began to creep around the edges of her eye sight. She wanted to move to fight back but crazy man that was choking her had probably forgotten that he told her not to move until he said so, and so she was trapped and slowly dying.

' _Please….someone….h-help.'_ She thought frantically to herself.

"Don't you pass out on me now Jessica. WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

* * *

 **Hammer Underground Storage Facility**

"WAKE UP!"

Jessica's eyes snapped open as she felt the cold water wash over her. She gagged as the cold water continued to wash over her until a voice made it stop.

"Enough."

Jessica had to shield her eyes away from the bright light that was shinning directly in her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"Wrong question girl." The voice snapped.

* * *

She quickly recognized the voice belonged to the man thing creature that was in her apartment. Jessica tried to crawl forward out of the bright light.

"Don't move." Said the Scorpion.

She ignored him.

"Hit her."

Jessica heard the hum of a weapon and electricity emerged from the darkness on her left and hit her in the shoulder. She gritted her teeth as the electricity shocked her.

"Hit her again." The Scorpion demanded.

Jessica was hit again with more electricity. She screamed out in pain before finally collapsing to the ground. The Scorpion walked forward and he wrapped his tail around her body and hoisted her up.

"Who else have you talked too?" he asked.

Jessica vision began to blur, but she was able to make out the men that surrounded her, each had weapons and were dressed in military gear. The Scorpion shook her and forced her to look at him.

"I need to know if you talked to anyone else. It's only a matter of time before we find the old man and Urich but is there anyone else!" he growled.

"Where is Nadine Edmonds?" Jessica replied.

* * *

The Scorpion threw her down the ground. He let out a loud yell, and put the tip of his stinger next to her eye.

"You are really testing my patience! EVERY ONE IS TESTING MY PATIENCE! AND I'M A VERY PATIENT MAN! You have to be to put up with the sh** I've been through, but the more you test me the angrier I get because you are keeping me from my kids. I'm going to ask you one last time…."

"Do you really think I'm afraid of you?" Jessica asked defiantly, "Buddy I've seen the face of true evil and you're not his shade. So kill me or don't, just stop wasting my time."

* * *

The Scorpion let out another yell however it was drowned out by sound of Justin Hammer's voice coming in over on the PA system.

"Gargan! I need to see you right now."

The Scorpion let out a long sigh before whipping away, knock her and put her in the cage.

"Where is Nadine!?" Jessica shouted out to his retreating form, but she received no answer.

Jessica saw the purifiers walking forward with their weapons aimed at her. For a moment she saw a flash of Purple and there laying next to her was her purple shaded tormentor smiling at her.

" ** _Do you think they'll hurt you as much as I did Jessica?_** " he asked.

He started to laugh, a laugh that haunted her daily.

" ** _Let's find out!_** " he said gleefully.

* * *

 **Elsewhere: In the Air**

"Sir, are you sure you want to do this. I mean all of the time we spent with…." Pierce started before being interrupted.

" _Yes, I'm sure. You did not dispose of Urich and Hammer's henchman is all over the news. This is spinning wildly out of control but I think I have an alternative plan to salvage all of this. I just need you to destroy that facility, leave no witnesses."_ Said Creed over the communication line.

"Yes sir. I will not fail again." Said Pierce.

" _I hope not, because that would be strike two."_ Said Creed.

Donald Pierce pursed his lips together in a thin line as the line went dead. He pushed on the controls and he flew in the direction of Hammer's facility that the mutants were being kept. He would not fail a second time.

* * *

 **Street Level**

Former Captain George Stacy from his spot down the street on Terri's motorcycle surveyed the security surrounding the shipping yard that held his target Justin Hammer. George cut the lights and got off the bike and he hid in the shadows of the alley he was next to. He watched as the guards pace back and forth in the front of the place. He could tell that they were probably hired from a private company or they could be part of Hammer's secret backers for the MGH.

He knew that Hammer was inside because he had followed him from his lavish penthouse and straight to the facility earlier. He smirked as he thought back to how his favor of having a couple of cops raid his office buildings and his penthouse while throwing out accusations would rile him up enough to lead him to his mutant holding facility; criminals, no matter what they wore, bandannas, biker jackets, crazy costumes or well fitted Armani suits, all thought the same.

* * *

George reached towards his waist and he removed his gun.

"Jessica, Nadine and a bunch of innocent mutants are probably in there somewhere and it is up to me to get them out. The question is how? I've got no back up and Parker has not made a decision yet, so I'm on my own. How do I get in there?"

"You can start by getting out of my way." Came a gruff voice from behind him.

* * *

George whipped around and aimed his gun but it was knocked away by an odd looking man. The man held up one hand and three claws popped out from the back of his knuckles.

 **SNKTT!**

Each of them glinted in the dim night light as he aimed the claws in George's direction.

"Who are ya?" Logan demanded.

"George Stacy."

"What are ya doing here?" Logan asked, while pointing his claws at George's throat.

"I'm looking for a girl." He answered.

"This ain't the red light district bub."

"Not that type of girl. A friend of mine Jessica Jones was kidnapped. We're both looking for a mutant girl by the name of Nadine Edmonds that was kidnapped by Justin Hammer and one of his thugs, a crazed goon by the name of the Scorpion."

"This Scorpion guy got a tail?" Logan asked.

"Yes."

"Is he in there?" Logan asked.

"Yes." George answered.

* * *

Logan retracted his claws and he snorted before walking around George and to the street.

"Wait who are you and what are you doing?"

"Name's Wolverine, I'm a mutant and I'm gonna get a little payback on this Hammer guy and his thug Scorpion. He spilled my beer. If you wanna help then keep up and keep quiet." He replied over his shoulder.

George wasted no time in picking up his fallen gun, cocking it back and hurrying after Wolverine.

* * *

 **Facility**

 **BAMMMM!** Came the sound of the Scorpion's fist striking the wall and leaving dent.

"This is not what you promised Hammer!"

"You told me you could handle this and you couldn't! You've screwed us all!" Justin replied.

"You wanted these people alive and that brings unwanted consequences."

Justin was about to respond when the alarms began to blare around them. A purifier burst into the room they were in with a panicked expression on his face.

"Hammer, we've been breached."

"By who?" He asked.

"Wolverine."

* * *

Hammer whipped towards the Scorpion.

"I told you, this is your screw up. I heard about your escapade with that mutant earlier and your fight with him has led him right to us. Either you fix this or you'll never see your kids again!"

The Scorpion raised his hands towards Justin but he quickly reigned in his anger, then back-handed the purifier that delivered the bad news so hard his face caved inwards spraying blood all over his employer.

"I'll take care of it." He said in a dangerously low voice as he stalked out of the room.

* * *

Justin watched him go and he waited until the Scorpion was completely out of view before he released a long sigh. He wiped the blood that was on his face off. Any other person would have been horrified at the sight of the warm blood but he was…indifferent. He could careless about the dead body that was inches away from him.

It was all spiraling, his position with Creed, his hired muscle and finally his ultimate goal of reclaiming the respect that was taken away from him by Fisk.

"I'll get it under control. I'll get everything that is owed to me if it is the last thing that I do." He whispered to himself.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the loud sound of explosion followed by the ceiling above him rattling violently. He looked up for a moment confused before everything around him shook again and the ceiling above started to collapse.

* * *

 **Daredevil's Spot**

Spider-Man touched one of the cupboards that were on one side of the room and the bullet ridden door fell off the hinges. He looked inside and there were his old web shooters in the corner. He reached for them, doing a quick inspection. He said a curse as he noticed that the right hand web-shooter had a few busted coils stick out.

"Great." He whispered while throwing the right one to the ground; Spider-Man then slipped the left one on his wrist _, 'I guess I'll have to do this with one web shooter, well it could be worse'_ he thought to himself.

"Spider-Man are you listening?" Daredevil asked from behind him.

"I heard everything DD. Mutant experimentation, MGH, Justin Hammer, Scorpion and Jessica or Jewel as we know her has been kidnapped. My missing person's case is tied into all of this as well. Do we have a location is my most pressing question."

* * *

Ben shook his head.

"No, my contact did not mention a specific location; just that Justin's whole company is rotten."

"Well we gotta find her now, there is no telling what Hammer and his cronies are doing to her." Said Luke.

"Does anybody have a cell phone?" Spider-Man asked.

"Why?" Misty asked.

"Because I have an idea." He replied.

* * *

Ben tossed him his phone. Spider-Man dialed the numbers he remembered on the paper that Captain Stacy had given to him before he left Ravencroft. He waited a few seconds and George's voice emerged on the other line.

* * *

"Captain Stacy it's me where….

" _SHIPPING YARD!" George yelled._

* * *

Spider-Man could hear the sounds of shouting and shooting right before the line went dead.

The Defenders looked at each other.

"Well, we have a location now." Said Spidey.

"Except how many shipping yards are in New York City." Said Colleen.

"How many are on fire?" DD asked, "I can hear police scanners from here but we can beat them there if we move quickly, I know where we're going and time is not on our side."

"I'm driving. I'll get us there is no time and you better believe I'm gonna be hauling ass so buckle up." Said Luke

* * *

 **Hammer's Facility**

Justin Hammer fanned the smoke that filled the room away from his nose as best as he could. He could barely see as most of the lights were out leaving small fires to illuminate the area. He did not know what was happening, one moment he was plotting his next move and the next everything was on fire; his ears rung and his vision swam but the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept him from passing out or loosing focus to the immediate danger he was in.

Justin slowly picked himself up from the floor and stumbled to the security cameras. He could see his shipping yard facility was being blown to bits, rockets were flying in from the sky, and all of the purifiers were fighting wolverine or killing his private gurads.

It didn't take him long to realize that Graydon Creed was cleaning house. It didn't take him long to realize that Graydon looked him in the face and lied to him just hours ago. Justin slammed his fist against the counter at the thought of how he had yet again been lied to by someone with more power than what he had.

"You'll Pay for this Creed!" he yelled before turning away and limping towards the exit just as another rocket hit the ground.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

Jessica felt the ground shake and her eyes slowly opened to see her purple faced nightmare staring back at her.

" _ **I'm somewhat proud of you Jessica. You held out for a good while but in the end it wasn't enough**_." He said.

The electric shocks had stopped and had given way to the smell of smoke, the temperature was beginning to rise rapidly and that could only mean fire. Jessica began to pick herself up off the ground. Her attackers were busy listening to something over their communication lines. She could not hear it but she did not care, the only thing she cared about was finding Nadine.

" _ **No Jessie, stay down, it's too painful to see you like this. You're not that stupid girl with the pink hair anymore. You're my broken little toy**_." The Purple nightmare said.

* * *

Jessica ignored it and continued to make her way to her feet, staring daggers at the group of Purifiers.

"HEY!" she yelled.

They all whipped towards her.

"The mutant is awake!" one of them shouted.

"Where is Nadine Edmonds!"

"Screw you! Kill her!"

Jessica saw them raise their weapons, and so she steeled her body and lifted off the ground and she leaned forward and zoomed straight ahead, barreling shoulder first into the Purifier that yelled at her. She flew him straight into the wall. She turned around punched the purifier behind her in the jaw, breaking it in the process and sending him skidding backwards. The other purifiers snapped out of their stupor and began to fire at her again.

Jessica, thinking quickly used the body of the Purifier she flew into as a human shield. She swung the unconscious body around like a rag doll and hit the others. A radio ear-piece fell out her captor's ear and at her feet. It was Donald Pierce issuing a message that was looping over and over.

* * *

 _ **KZZZZZZ,**_ _"My brothers and sisters we are in the eleventh hour of our holy war against the abominations known as mutants. We have been through many triumphs as well as failures but our resolve to bring back our world from the darkness has never wavered. In war there is death but there is also glory. And in your sacrifices of your lives tonight glory be unto you."_

* * *

Jessica stepped on the radio destroying it. She limped her way out of the room she was in and found herself in a corridor that had locked metal doors on each side. She could hear screaming voices on the other side.

"Let us out!" they yelled.

"NADINE!" Jessica yelled out over the noise.

"I'm Here! HERE I AM!"

* * *

Jessica heard the scream come from the door that was a few feet away. She limped towards the door and she grabbed the lock and easily ripped it off. She then pried it open and a thin and frail looking young woman fell out and to the ground. She was pale even in the dim light and all her hair was missing. Nadine turned her teary eyes towards Jessica who bent down to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No. No I'm not okay. I-I just want to go home." Nadine sobbed.

"I know. I'm here to make sure you get back to your parents."

"HELP US! HELP US! WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US!" came the other shouts from the trapped mutants. She looked at all doors and then felt the rumble from another rocket. Jessica and Nadine both heard cracking and crumbling, and both looked up towards the ceiling above just as it collapsed.

Jessica cursed as she dove on top of Nadine just as the rubble reached them.

* * *

 **Outside**

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of a loud explosion that rocked entire shipping yard. George was thrown off of his feet, loosing his cell in the process. He and the Purifiers he had been fighting were thrown off their feet. He was on his back and so he was able to see the helicopter up above that was firing off powerful military grade rockets at the shipping facility.

 **KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound of another rocket hitting the ground.

* * *

 **Several Feet away**

Logan mercilessly sliced through any Purifier that stood in his way. They bombarded him with bullets but thanks to his healing factor it was not enough to hold him back. He could smell the scent of the Scorpion all over the area and around the men in front of him which meant that he was close.

He shoved his claws in the chest of the Purifier to his left and just as he pulled it out several rockets hit the ground, spreading fire and destruction. The short tempered mutant gritted his teeth as he felt a burst of fire wash over him. The others around him screamed in pain but he didn't make a sound.

Logan walked out of the flames, skin seared and burning but it was already beginning to heal. He looked up to see a helicopter, firing rockets at all of the shipping containers.

 **THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!** Came the sound of feet.

* * *

Logan had just enough time see the Scorpion quickly closing the distance between the two of them. The Scorpion ran his sharp claws upward slicing a chunk of skin off of Logan's face. The Scorpion using his agility easily hopped over Logan and sunk his claws deep into the short mutant's flesh. He then lifted him up over his head and threw him towards a burning container.

Logan bounced off the door and to the ground and much to his chagrin the burning door fell on top of him. The Scorpion felt a bullet strike him in the shoulder and so he turned to see George on the ground with his gun aimed in his direction.

"Aww Sh**!" George shouted as he continued to fire.

* * *

The Scorpion used his superior speed and agility to dodge each of the bullets. He moved swiftly out of the way until George's gun went empty.

"I remember you." He said, "You took my family away."

"I did not take them away you crazy psychopath. Your ex-wife willingly went with me to get the hell away from you." George replied, "They're in protective custody and far away from you."

The Scorpion leapt into the air and came down next to George. He lifted the older man up so they were eye to eye.

"Where are they? Hammer promised to tell me where they are but his promises don't mean squat and now I'm thinking you know. You're a cop." He said.

"Ex-cop." George replied.

"A pig is still a pig." Scorpion growled while shaking him.

George gritted his teeth from the shaking.

"I'm not telling you sh** until you tell me where you're holding Nadine Edmonds?"

"What is with this Edmonds girl, first that drunken mess down below asks about her and now you. I don't even know who that is!"

"You kidnapped her!"

"And I don't remember the names of the people I kidnap! She's either dead or dying, but I don't give a rat's ass about her, just tell me where my family is and I'll make this death as painless as possible."

"Do your worst." George replied defiantly.

* * *

The Scorpion snarled however before he could do anything a set of high-beams caught his attention. He and George turned to see a black van speeding towards them. He tossed George to the side and jumped high in the air over the van.

"INCOMING!" came a shout.

* * *

The Scorpion managed to see two black clad feet right before they met his face. He went flying back down to the ground in a heap. Spider-Man landed a few inches away.

"Scorpion you and I have unfinished business." He said.

"YOU!" Scorpion exclaimed "I thought you were dead."

"Well that's the problem right there, with your limited mental abilities you really shouldn't be thinking, it never turns out well for you." Spidey replied.

"Are you callin me stupid?"

"Yes." Spidey replied.

The Scorpion whipped around with his tail but Spidey ducked under it and leapt to the top of a shipping container. The Scorpion followed suit and the two agile foes began to battle for dominance.

* * *

The black van came skidding to a stop and the rest of the Defenders came pouring out of the back.

"DD where is Jessica?" Luke asked.

Daredevil blocked out the sounds all around him as he tried to focus on a heart beat, he had memorized the patterns of each of his teammates the last time they were all together, so if she was there then he would find her. It was hard to concentrate, especially with the helicopter up above firing rockets in every direction.

"Can somebody please do something about the helicopter?" Said DD.

"Misty, now would be a good time to try out your new arm." Said Iron Fist

Misty looked at her bionic arm and then raised it high while taking aim at the helicopter. The palm of the hand opened and a miniature rocket appeared.

"That little thing isn't going to get the job done." Said Colleen.

"Wait for it." Iron Fist replied.

* * *

Misty curled her fingers and the motion made the rocket launch.

The rocket shot forward and nailed one of the engines on the side of the helicopter.

 **BOOOOOOOOOOOM!** Came the sound followed by the helicopter spinning wildly out of control. It swerved around until it came crashing down in a fiery display.

* * *

"Wow, I stand corrected." Colleen whispered.

"Small but oh so powerful." Iron Fist replied.

Luke opened his mouth, but Danny held up his fist and made it glow.

"Not a word Luke." He said.

"QUIET!" Daredevil yelled.

Once the helicopter was down he could hear and see dozens of heartbeats but there was only one with Jessica's signature. He heard it coming from down below, and he could also hear the Purifiers heading that way.

"This way!" he shouted.

The Defenders all headed down below.

* * *

George picked himself off of the ground and that's when he saw Justin Hammer come rushing around the bend. He was heading for the exit but the former Captain would not let him get away so easily. He gathered his strength and he ran towards the corrupt business tycoon.

George closed the distance between the two and knocked him down to the ground. Hammer reached into his suit and pulled out a gun but George knocked it away, in response he got a punch to the face. The two older men began to struggle with the other both attempted to go for the fall gun.

* * *

 **Above- Shipping containers**

Spider-Man nailed the Scorpion in the face with an uppercut; he then dropped low and swept him off of his feet. The Scorpion hit the edge of the container they were on and began to fall but his tail jammed itself into the metal and halted his fall. The tail yanked him forward where he socked Spidey in the jaw sending him flying backwards. Spider-Man flipped in mid-air and landed on his feet, his spider-sense came to life and without a second thought he jumped over the red-tipped stinger that was aimed for his head.

 **THWIP!** Came the sound of him firing a web-line to the Scorpion's back. He tugged on the line and sent the Scorpion off the stack of containers and to the concrete ground below.

* * *

Spidey landed a few feet away.

"Give up Gargan you won't win." He said.

"I ain't goin back to lock up web-head, you'll have to kill me first." Scorpion replied.

"Don't temp me." Said Spider-Man.

"New attitude with that ugly new costume."

"It was a gift and it's not ugly…well maybe it is since you definitely are the authority on ugly. Dude time is not your friend, I think you've gotten uglier since I've seen you. And your breath is horrible." Spidey quipped.

The Scorpion growled as he charged forward and Spider-Man met him in the middle with three web balls to the face, followed by a solid right hook. The Scorpion spun around kicked the wall-crawler in the stomach and then smacked him in the face with his tail.

* * *

 **Down Below**

Jessica Jones managed to push the rubble that was on top of her to the side. She was exhausted, but she continued find the strength to keep going and pick up the unconscious Nadine. She could still smell the smoke, see the fire around her and hear the screaming from the others that were trapped.

She did not know what to do and she knew that time was running out. From the right she saw a dozen purifiers round the corner, all of them had their weapons drawn, none cared about the fire and destruction all around them, they only cared about killing mutants. She could faintly hear Donald Pierce's manifesto playing over their radios but all sounds were drowned out by the sound of the laughter.

She could hear his voice clear as day.

" _ **Jessica. When will you learn that no one gives a damn about you. You are nothing but a dumb girl playing at being a superhero. There is no happy ending for you, and it is not like you deserve one anyway. HAHAHA**_!"

* * *

Jessica closed her eyes and gritted her teeth while preparing herself for the end, but thankfully it never came. She opened her eyes to see the Purifiers pointing past her. She looked and a smile began to appear on her face because standing there was her friends Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Daredevil, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.

"Defenders, time to go to work!" Luke yelled as he dashed forward.

The Purifiers opened fire but their bullets bounced off of him. He continued on and punched the first one he saw in the face. From over his shoulder Iron Fist jumped over and delivered a flying kick to the head of another purifier.

* * *

Jessica watched the two heroes for hire taking on the crew of Purifiers for a moment before she heard the voices of Misty and Colleen.

"Hey, you good girl?" Misty asked.

"Getting better now that you guys are here. I'm glad you came."

"Of course, we failed you once and that will never happen again." Said Colleen.

Daredevil turned around just as more Purifiers came onto the scene. He pulled out his escrima sticks and met them head on as well.

* * *

 **Up Above**

George socked Hammer in the face one last time before finally reaching for the fallen gun and aiming it at him. He could faintly hear the sound of police sirens and fire trucks heading in their direction, and so he did the only thing that felt right to him.

"You're under arrest, for conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping and assaulting an officer." He said strongly.

A beaten and bruised Justin Hammer began to loudly chuckle.

"Where's your badge? Show me a badge, better yet show me a warrant or probable cause for you to be here officer!"

* * *

George gritted his teeth in response but did not lower his weapon; he kept it trained on the corrupt business man.

"That's what I thought, you've got nothing on me." Said Justin while trying to rise to his feet.

"Stay down!" George shouted, kicking him back down, "I got everything I need. I have your pills, and you've led me right to your holding facility."

"One of my many properties, I didn't know what was going on here until tonight where I swooped in and shut everything down, only then to be ambushed by you. As far as the pills concerned, I don't know if you've noticed but this place has been blown to hell I doubt there is anything left."

"I don't care I'm still arresting you, and you're going to tell me what you did with Nadine Edmonds."

"She's probably dead. I don't remember the names of these freaks."

George kicked him in the stomach, and Justin spit out some blood. He looked at the blood on the concrete and then glared at the former captain.

"I will destroy you for this."

George wanted to respond however the sound of screeching tires caught his attention. He saw the men and women in blue arrive on the scene, as well as the fire trucks.

"Over here!" he shouted.

He waved them over however they all stopped when they saw a figure go flying over head.

* * *

Spider-Man went flying back first into the windshield of one of the police cars that had arrived.

 _ **CRACKKKKK!**_ Came the sound of the windshield breaking.

"Ooof." Spider-Man groaned.

He shook his head and flipped off the hood and to the roof of the cop car right as the Scorpion came down with a fist that put a large dent in the hood.

"FREEZE FREAK!" a female officer screamed.

The Scorpion whipped towards the officer that called him a freak and his tail zoomed forward with its stinger tipped aimed for her heart. At the last second the stinger was stopped by a web-line. Spider-Man jumped at him and kicked him in the face.

"Everyone move! I got this!" he shouted.

* * *

The Scorpion wiped the red blood that spilled from his lips and he stared evilly at the black and white clad hero.

"Why won't you leave me alone!? All I want is to be with my family, they need me, why can't you understand that!"

"They don't need you Gargan, look at what you have become! You have killed people; injured a dozen more and you've even resorted to kidnapping. What kind of family needs that type of person in their life?"

"Oh what do you know about what they need. Huh! Do you have kids! No ya don't because you're still a kid yourself I'm betting. The moment they were born I told myself I'd do whatever I had to for them. So yeah I steal, I kill and kidnap because I come from nothing, I've never had money, I ain't go no education, no skills, but what I do have is love for them."

"And that so called love has twisted you into something evil." Spider-Man replied, "If you were to see them do you even think they would recognize you? Do you even recognize you?"

* * *

Spider-Man fired a web at a side view mirror on one of the police cars and yanked it off and into his hands. He held the mirror up at Gargan who stared at his reflection. He was so horrified at what he saw that he recoiled in disgust.

"Now you understand, so give yourself up." Said Spider-Man

"NO!" the Scorpion yelled, "You're trying to trick me. I know who I am and I know that my children would know me, I am their father." He said.

"No, you were once maybe but now you're nothing more than a two bit murdering psychotic monster that has the brain the size of an ant and the breath of a baboon's butt!" Spider-Man retorted, _'Time to end this and the only way to do that is to get him nice and angry.'_ He thought to himself.

The Scorpion let out a yell.  
"DON'T CALL ME NAMES!"

Spider-Man threw the mirror in his hands at the Scorpion who smacked it away. The Scorpion lunged at Spider-Man in hopes of spearing him across the waist however his foe was too agile. Spider-Man leapt over him and fired several thick webs at the tail. Scorpion hit the ground but was on his feet in a manner of seconds. He looked over his shoulder to see his tailed webbed to his back. He could have ripped it off but in his anger to kill Spider-Man he chose to continue his assault.

Spider-Man rolled under a swipe and then kicked the Scorpion in the back of his leg making him drop to a knee. Spidey back-flipped and as he came over the Scorpion he grabbed the crazed foe's head and brought a knee right to his nose as hard as he could. The Scorpion stumbled back as blood poured from his broken nose, and on instinct he tried to whip his tail but it was firmly webbed to his back.

Spider-Man took the opportunity to continue his assault. He socked him in the jaw with right hook, then a left. He then jumped up and kicked him in the chest with both of his feet.

"Fall down!" Spider-Man shouted.

He charged in using his speed and agile to hit him all over. The Scorpion tried to continue to fight but the punches from Spider-man were fast, hard and precise, it was like they were coming from every direction. Spidey hit him again and again and finally on the last punch to the stomach the Scorpion tumbled over and to the ground groaning.

* * *

Spidey webbed him up as best as he could and then tossed him to the officers that were nearby.

"Book him." He said, before turning back to the blazing inferno that was the shipping yard.

* * *

 **Underground**

Daredevil elbowed a purifier in the face and then dropped low and swept another off of his feet. The Man without fear heard a shout coming from behind him and he gritted his teeth as he felt a knife graze his arm. HE grabbed the Purifier that cut him and head-butted him in the head.

He gritted his teeth as he heard the sounds of metal crunching; his radar picked up on the sounds of the entire structure crumbling, they had minutes before everything collapsed inwards.

"DEFENDERS LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE THIS PLACE IS COMING DOWN!" he yelled.

* * *

Jessica kicked a purifier in the face and then snatched his weapon out of his hands and swung it like a bat at the purifier that was blocking the cell door of another trapped mutant. She then broke the lock and she pried the door open. She freed a young boy that could not have been older than eleven years old. She smiled at him and urged him out and to Colleen, who was directing the other freed mutants to the path of safety.

"I think that's the last one." She said.

"Good, let's get the f*** out of here." Said Misty.

Jessica bent down and she picked up Nadine. Daredevil had cleared them a path and so she started in the direction he had cleared.

"CAGE! FIST! WE ARE LEAVING!" Misty yelled.

* * *

Luke looked to Iron Fist.

"Patty Cake." He said.

"We agreed to never call it that again. We both agreed to call it Sonic Fist."

"No you said that and I just didn't reply, now hit me."

Iron Fist made his fist glow with his chi. He took aim and thrusted his fist into Luke's hand.

 **KLANGGGGGGGGGG!** Came the sound. The force that erupted from the hit tossed the remaining Purifiers in every direction. The Heroes for Hire turned and rushed after their fellow Defenders.

* * *

 **Up Above**

Colleen and Jessica led the way as they emerged from the underground holding area. They saw fire and destruction in every direction. She managed to spot the busted security gate where she saw officers and fire fighters trying to put out the raging fires that seemed to be everywhere.

"This way!" She yelled.

They all started after her however a yellow and black shipping container suddenly fell in their path and blocked them off. A web-line found its way to the container and it was then yanked out of the way.

"KEEP MOVING!"

Jessica looked up to see Spider-Man pointing towards the exit; a sigh of relief washed over her as she continued to lead the others towards the exit. As they fled the area the ground began to shake but several well placed web patches kept it together long enough so they were able to make it to safety.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

A limping Donald Pierce continued to flee the scene of the burning shipping yard. He had succeeded in destroying all the evidence that would lead back the Friends of Humanity but in doing so he had damaged his cybernetic parts. He could smell some of the leaking oil, and scorched synthetic skin. Pierce was more machine than man and so with each step he could feel his mechanical parts shutting down, he had the will to keep moving but not the parts that would listen.

"Sonuva Bitch." He cursed as he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

He reached towards his waist and he dug into one of the pockets in an attempt to retrieve a distress beacon, but the device was destroyed. He tossed the broken item away and he leaned against the brick wall.

"At least ah got away." He sighed to himself.

"I wouldn't say that bub." came a gruff voice.

* * *

Donald Pierce turned his head to see a figure slowly walking towards him, each step echoed in the night and making the remaining human blood he had run cold.

"Wolverine." He whispered.

Logan came to a stop allowing Donald to see that some of his skin was still healing from the burns inflicted upon him. He looked like something out of a horror movie but he would not be frightened by a mutant. He refused to show fear and so he pulled out the only weapon he had left and that was his mechanical arm machine gun.

* * *

The slot opened unleashing every bullet in the clip before the circuitry blew out leaving a small trial of smoke. The useless appendage fell to his side unmoving. Donald kept his face neutral, trying to show no fear as the bullets fell out of Wolverine's flesh and to the ground.

Logan snarled, and his eye twitched in anger.

"Do whatever you want to me mutie but I'll never talk. I'll never betray my kind." He said defiantly.

Logan raised his hands and his claws popped from the back of his knuckles.

 **SNKT!**

"Ya say that but if it's a challenge ya throwing out ya southern bastard, then challenge accepted."

* * *

 **END CHAPTER** **: Hey all it's me Nomad88 back with the closing comments. I know it's a bit late but I wanted to give a special double stuff chapter. This chapter was supposed to be shorter than what it is but I figured I kinda maybe owed you all a longer chapter.**

 **So The Defenders! Yes I did manage to binge watch the Defenders on Netflix and I did enjoy it. I'm curious to see if they're going to do another one but the plans are kinda up in the air at this point. I hope everyone enjoyed my interpretation of the Defenders or Marvel Knights as they were originally supposed to be called. They will return.**

 **Anyway, I thank everyone for tuning in for another chapter and another one will be on the way. It will be a direct follow up to this chapter as well as a spring board for furthering the story. So Hit me with a review or a PM and I'll get back to you ASAP. This is Nomad88 saying later…**

 **Next up** **: Back to Square One**

* * *

 **Summary** **: All the pieces have been reset. Peter Parker has found renewed strength to be the Amazing Spider-Man, and tries to re-integrate himself and move on to the next step in his life—College. Meanwhile, the whole city reacts to the news of the Defenders in action and the return of the Amazing Spider-Man. And a new candidate for Mayor of New York City emerges. Be there True Believers!**


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